Driving to Hanoi

[balo]

Too much trouble , just rent a car in Hanoi instead and drive around. 

[junglechef]

1 hour ago, balo said:

Too much trouble , just rent a car in Hanoi instead and drive around. 

 

If I was looking for easy do you think I'd be going to a remote part of Vietnam for an off-road bicycle marathon?

[Mousehound]

On ‎27‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 1:53 PM, canthai55 said:

If anything, VN drives on the correct side of the road.

http://www.worldstandards.eu/cars/list-of-left-driving-countries/

Oh Brittania might rule the Waves - or did - but not the road !

Driving or owning a car legally in VN is a real hassle.  Getting insurance is also a problem for scooter cover as well. legally you are required to have a VN drivers license and although driving without is common it puts any insurance claim in jeopardy.  VN does not recognise foreigners licenses or their use of  International Driving Permits.  It is just starting to  issue IDP's to it's own drivers however, so things may change on that front. Whatever you do avoid Hwy #1.  A good friend bicycled through Thailand, Cambodia and VN.  No problems at all in any country but he avoided the main highways where possible.

 

The best method for travel is hire a car with driver or buy a scooter/mcycle with a promise of buy back.  If the latter, I favour getting a train out of or into Saigon and only driving the country areas.  Bike tour operators I have come across are most likely outside the law and you have to cover your own insurance.  But these may now offer a more complete service as things in VN are changing very fast indeed.

 

About a third of the world drives on the right -- the fascists changing to the right made England the last country in Europe to drive on the left,  If you take China out of the equation I think things would be pretty even. I am not convinced the Chinese can be thought of as drivers as they make the Thais look like experts. If you drive in India or Saigon, and live to tell the tale,  you can drive anywhere in the world.

[Alan Deer]

On 1/27/2017 at 8:59 AM, mesquite said:

Not to mention they drive on the right side of the road in vn so your Thai car has the steering wheel on the wrong side.

this is simply not a problem if you are a competent driver.

[Alan Deer]

at present the answer to driving in VN appears to be to drive in a convoy.