Importing Bike From Vietnam

[thelongshoot]

Hello. As you may have noticed on my other post, I have brought a 1962 Lambretta that I am going to have customized. I would also like to buy a Lambretta from a company in Vietnam who specialize in custom Lambrettas and Vespas. What is the deal regading the import of this? Would it have to be a 100% tax job and if so, could I just claim the bike is worth 50,000 Baht? Is it easy to collect from customs? Easy to register in Thailand?

Thanks so much

TLS

[Richard-BKK]

Assuming that the motorcycle is not made in Vietnam, you probably need to pay 10% import duty. I say “probably” as the motorcycle is older than 10 years. If a vehicle is older than 10-years the officer on duty at the custom house will set the import duty, mostly they just use the highest age “discount” for the 80% import duty (which is 70%).

The 10% (or 70% discount on the import duty) is based on my personal experience, some rumors go that you can get even more discount, but never happened to me.

Also not forget to ask the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce for an import permit for the motorcycle.

Edited December 14, 2011 by Richard-BKK

[thelongshoot]

Thanks Richard appreciate the feedback. I wonder if there is an import company who handle evrything for you? I mean, how would I have known I needed an import doc if you hadnt of told me? There must be a minefield of things I need and rather than getting it wrong, there may be a company I can pay to take care of it all?

Yes the bike will be around 50 years old. Are you saying that because of its age, I wont have to pay the 100% duty, and only pay around 10%? Thats brilliant if so. But what about registration etc?

Is there somewhere I can go to get all of this information?

[Zammo]

DON'T DO IT MATE!!!!! It will end up costing you a fortune you will end buying a pile of shit, looks pretty on the outside but rebuilt using cut up coca cola cans as bushes, awful welds inside the engine etc etc..you will have to throw thousands at it, then there is the green book issue, more dramas more expensive a complete and utter nightmare! Buy one in Thailand with a book.

Edited December 14, 2011 by Zammo

[Zammo]

Good read for anyone considering buying a Vespa or Lambretta from Vietnam, most of the scooters over this part of the world have not been looked after, but if you actually buy one in person and no what to look out for you limit the risk of buying a pile of rubbish when buying off the internet.

http://www.thevespawizard.com.au/the_black_vbb.htm

[Richard-BKK]

Forget the idea to register the scooter, as it's 50-years old the chance you get it ever legal for public road use is very very small. I know very high Thai military officers who have expensive classic bikes which they cannot register... if they cannot what are our changes... The Thai exhaust emission rules are really strict...

Yes, the official import duty on motor vehicles is 80%, and per age the custom office give you a discount (search in Google for “Thai import duty table vehicles” to get the complete list).

For importing a motor vehicle you can use any transport company, but I would recommend that you find a transporter who has an office in Vietnam and Bangkok...

Edited December 14, 2011 by Richard-BKK

[Zammo]

Like I say buy one that already has a book in Thailand, all my scooters that are 50+ years old have the green book in my name with tax and insurance.

If you are not bothered about a book which is what the poster above is implying then the last place on earth to buy a Lambretta would be from in Vietnam.

Edited December 14, 2011 by Zammo

[thelongshoot]

This is a total learning curve for me. Im a total newbie at this and whilst I have been into everything Mod since I was a young kid in 83, I know nothing about Lams or Vespas. For years I have listened to the music, had paintings on my walls of scooter scenes, read the books, watched quad about 500 times.... I guess I even dress like a mod i suppose but do I know anything about the bikes? Not a sodding thing.

I brought a new Vespa and chucked a load of money at it, adding extras and making it look the part. A bona fida classic scooter enthusiast such as you Zammo would frown at this but I say give modern Vespas a chance also - they deserve the whole mod treatment as much as the classic bikes do in my opinion. Mod does after all mean modern.

That said, once the vespa was finished i just didnt feel satisfied. I mean, its not a classic. I love it, but it hasnt got the heart and soul of a classic and in the last month since I have had it, its been nagging at the back of my mind "you should have just brought an old Lam". So I did, a few days ago. But I fcuked up and brought one without a book. Stupid, I know.... But I have been looking on thai scooter classifieds for weeks (years on and off, actualy) and this Lam just jumped out at me. I brought it from a nice guy, a real Lam enthusiast in Rayong who seemed to have looked after it but it does need some work and now Im thinking whats the point if I cant ride it much further than my local area.

I didnt realize how much of a <deleted> up this was untill I read these posts here but now I know: I will never be able to get a book for it. And as I said, whats the point in customizing it if I cant ride it very far.

So now im thinking..... Write off the cost of the Lam (which does my head right in as it cost 95K and im not made of money) just let it sit in the back yard and just buy another Lam with book and have it renovated. There are often decent looking Lams with book on thai scooter dot com for around 80K. if I was more patient, I would have done that but I just seen this LI2 with no book and thought to hell with it, i dont want to fart around any more im just gonna buy one.

Zammo, I appreciate you offering to pass on your pals details. Ill drop you a PM. By the way, when I said "wait a month' to get it renovated thats only because I have no idea and no clue about this, as I said. If it takes 3 or 4 months, so be it. Thats fine. I realy genuinely have dreamt of owning a knockout Lam for the best part of 3 decades so a few months will not hurt me.

[Richard-BKK]

Another country you can look at for classic Lambretta and Vespa's is India. The transport cost for the scooter(s) is probably a bit higher, but you easily find classic scooters in prim condition.

[Zammo]

The Lambretta production in India was under the license of SIL and the Vespa Bajaj. Both bad quality not anywhere near the same standards as Innocenti Lambretta Italy and Piaggio Vespa Italy both who exported worldwide. For me the whole romance and history of these classic scooters is lost when buying one that originates from India (no offense to our Indian friends ;-)

If your going to pay out a lot of money for one of these scooters and you also want one as an investment then the scooter must originate from Italy. Collectors and enthusiast alike will always favour the scooter from Italy, always.

First thing to look for is the frame number with the letters IGM or DGM after the frame number. IGM stands for Ispettorato Generale Motorizzazione and DGM (1967 onwards), Direzione Generale Motorizzazione meaning the main place where vehicles are tested and granted street legal status by the Italian Government.

This website will also help you to check frame and engine numbers that indicate model and production runs, the less that were made the more valuable.

Lambretta

Vespa

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thelongshoot, its not the bee all and end all to have a book but the problem is if you have an accident and injure a Thai and what with us being foreigners your going to get squeezed for every penny they can out of you and as you know we always lose here no matter who's fault it is.

I reckon mate we should try and find you just frame and engine with book and use the one you have bought as a donor (swap panels, parts etc) just a thought I could ask my pal for you to have a ring around. Once finished you would need a residency letter from immigration to put in your name and if the book is registered outside of your area it will need to be transferred from A to B then the scooter has to be checked at a government approved center, sounds a nightmare but its not that difficult and I know of a lady who works on Sukamvit road for the government and she can take care of everything like.

Other then that it's your choice mate, It's a difficult one what to do. Some of my friends don't have books with their scooters but like i say it worries me if there was ever a serious accident.