Buying a bike in ha noi
 

Hi guys So I am pretty desperate for some help. I need to know if it is possible to fly into ha noi and buy two bikes and then ride to Malaysia via Cambodia and thailand. I know this is brief but thats because we have no specific plans other than start and finnish. Your help is going to make this trip happen thank you in advance.

I think this is possible, I did meet people who had got a far as Thailand on Vietnamese registered bikes and Malaysia didn't require a carnet when I was there, others might know differently.
Check out Hanoi backpackers for foreigners selling bikes.

hello,

check this website for adds : vietnam motorcycles/scooters classifieds - craigslist

i just came back from 4 weeks there and bought a little honda win 110 from vietnam motorcycles. They are a nice bunch of expats and locals. All the bikes have a full rebuild so they run ok for a little thing. The only thing is they are slightly expensive compared to other places.
Having rode the rest of Asia on my 650 it was a bit painful getting on the 110 but still a bit of fun- at least down the hills in the twisty stuff.

I've just done exactly what the OP asked about: I bought a bike from Flamingo Travel in Hanoi, drove down Vietnam, through Cambodia and Thailand and am now in Kuala Lumpur.

Cambodia: at Tinh Bien – Phnom Den, no questions asked about the bike, just wanted my passport and 25 USD for the visa

Thailand: got refused at the Poipet border as my bike isn't registered in my name, so I went south to Pailin – Pong Nam Ron, where with a bit of patience (2 hours) I got all the paperwork to temporarily import my bike to Thailand. Here I needed the original registration (blue card), a letter from the "owner" saying I'm free to do with it as I like and my international driver's licence.

Malaysia: near Satun - Kaki Bukit, stamped out the bike at Thai customs, entered Malaysia without questions about the bike. I did get stopped at a police checkpoint in central Malaysia, but they were happy with my passport and international driver's licence.

All of this is done without any insurance btw. :mchappy:

Poipet-Aranyaprathet used to be a sh*thole. Been several years, since I last visited, but it appears very little has changed.

Remember, if you don´t have any traffic insurance, and you have an accident, where somebody else (or their property) gets badly hurt, then you are screwed. Over there you could of course be screwed, even if you HAVE insurance, because it may or may not help you in that situation. But that´s something to think about, and local jails are experiences, that most people want to avoid. Don´t mean to scare you of course, and good luck on your trip!