vietnam(saigon to hanoi)-march !!!!!!!!!

**oren** · #1 27 Jan 2006

Hi to all
I want to do the way from saigon to hanoi(on side roads) with a motor bike on march .
I'm looking for partners for the trip (about one month )
allso looking for info about -
1.good bikes for rent in saigon - that posible to return in hanoi .
2.traveling tips about the road , interesting places and others .
thank's
see you on the way .
oren

**Em and Hame** · #2 2 Feb 2006

Oren,
I did this trip in '95 so my information will I'm sure, be somewhat out of date. Rather than renting, we bought 2 Russian Minsks from fellow travellers ending their trip in Siagon, having ridden down from Hanoi. One big advantage was the wealth of fresh info we recieved from them, having just ridden in the opposite direction. I don't know about now, but then there were quite a number of bikes being advertised in the back-packers cafe's. Minsks are (or were) to Vietnam what Enfields are to India, i.e. lots of spares and workshops throughout the country. Upon reaching Hanoi, we had both bikes sold within a week and at a small profit to boot!

Lots of good places to see, Hoi An I remember being especially interesting. We stuck to Highway 1, however when away from the tourist towns we were often asked if we were Russian (Hey Ruskie!), as the last Westeners they'd met were Russians who were present in the late '70's. Lot's of deserted beaches and bays to stop off for a quiet swim along this route too.

Have a good one, Hamish

**glennoi** · #3 27 Feb 2006

Oren,

You may be able to rent Minsks from the Saigon Scooter Centre (info@saigonscootercentre.com) and organise the bikes to be shipped back on the train from Ha Noi. Otherwise your best bet will be looking around the cafes in the Pham Ngu Lao area to see if there are any bikes for sale. You may also be able to hook up with another traveller there.

Have a look at the Minsk Club website -- http://www.minskclubvietnam.com/ -- for some tips about driving in Viet Nam. The site mostly focuses on the north, because the driving is better up here. You could also look at the GT-Rider Board -- http://board.gt-rider.com/ -- for tips and possibly even a driving buddy.

Glenn