How dangerous is riding in Vietnam?
 

Hello,

I'm riding in Vietnam in October. I've been advised that highways and major regional roads are exceptionally dangerous due to ill-disciplined bus and truck drivers, e.g. rounding corners on the wrong side of the road.

This all sounds pretty much like "situation normal" for travel anywhere in Asia. I have plenty of experience riding in Indonesia and Malaysia, covering highways through to unmapped tracks - is it significantly worse in Vietnam?

Are there any "no-go" roads in Vietnam from a riding point of view? (i.e. particularly dangerous traffic situation).

thanks

It's situation normal.

Riding your own bike???

Expect pretty normal Asian driving, people pulling out from the right without looking seemed to be the biggest danger to me, just watch what the locals do and follow their rules.

Not for this trip - it's only 3 weeks, so not worth shipping. I am renting a Pegasus 250 trail bike.

thanks folks ... looking forward to the ride :)

Normal Asia driving I'd say. Just about to arrive in Malaysia after riding a Minsk from Hanoi through Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. Vietnam has the most scooters in my opinion. Most dangerous are overpassing minibuses in opposite traffic. Anyway I suggest to ride in the mountains along Laos / Cambodia as it has the least traffic, the prettiest scenery and the nicest roads for bikers. Cheers

So far Malaysia has got the worst drivers I have ever seen - see what you think!

Definitely will be seeking out backroads and mountain trails.

Did you hear any news of armed bandits in Laos? Apparently a band of 30 bandits was apprehended recently - maybe that will be the end of the problem.

Haven't heard anything about those bandits. In Laos I've only been to the very South though: 4000 islands and on and around the Bolaven Plateau.

Apparently they were only active around Plain of Jars and further north, so staying south should be fine. That's my plan too.

The attached a Chinese tour bus and killed one passenger, as well as a truck, two motorcyclists, and a few others since late last year.

Be wary...
 

My husband and I bought bikes in Hanoi and intended on using them our whole 3 month stay by doing the northern loop, heading south, and selling them in Saigon.

The bikes were ok, and I was actually learning how to ride a fully manual bike for the first time, in the middle of Hanoi traffic, and I was completely fine.

However, we only made it 6 weeks through the northern loop before we gave up and went back to Hanoi to sell them. It wasn't enjoyable, we got scammed a lot, and it was more trouble than it was worth. The biggest problem was that EVERYWHERE we went, someone would break something on the bike overnight, or even while we were inside a temple or other site and then laugh when they offered to fix it at their shop conveniently across the street. For, like, $200 or something.

This happened before we even left Hanoi, and hubby pushed the dead bike with a clearly clipped accelerator cable 2 miles through town to where we bought it from instead of allowing the laughing goons the pleasure of "helping" us.

So, I guess I never felt unsafe or in the way of bodily harm, even as a new driver in strange terrain and having to cross landslides and all that, but we were heavily inconvenienced and it was costing more than it was worth, enjoyment-wise.

But it was a great way to see the country and I would try it again, and would recommend it, with enough precautions.

As a side note, we did Laos for 2 months and had a blast and I want to do that for the rest of my life. Amazing.

That is really devious :)

I've arranged with our city hotels to make sure they have off-street parking for the bikes, but we have no idea where we will be on any given day between the cities. Even if we did, it's likely to be a modest "granny flat" kind of accommodation with no off street parking.

I suppose the next best thing is to take some spare cables and tools. Thanks for the warning.

FWIW I never had any trouble in Indonesia. Except I was embarrassed when mechanics would only take a dollar for working on my bike for ages.

In terms of "honesty/integrity", I'd rate Indonesia highest and probably Philippines lowest :( But is sounds like Vietnam has a few villains too!

Jeez ..

You think that Malaysians are the worst ???

I can't believe how courteous and disciplined Malaysians are. At least they adhere to road rules and stop at red lights.

I think you will be in for a shock in VN, if thats the case.

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The problems in Laos are quite deep, they shouldn't concern you unless you are caught in the crossfire. It's nothing to do with 'bandits' stealing something, more like political.

Chaos I can handle ... it tends to limit the opportunities for really dangerous behaviour. I mean seriously dangerous driving at high speeds, with disregard for common sense, combined with apparent lack of judgement, stupid macho behaviour, and poor vehicle control.

I know it probably happens a lot in Asia (and probably most developing countries) due to limited licensing process. But sure, Malaysia takes the cake for me :( Never seen so many wantonly dangerous things in a few weeks.

Japan has the best driving I've seen, though I did not ride or drive there.

Re the bandits, that's good to know. I read something about Lao anger due to exploitation by China, but they also shot up a truck and two guys on bikes - locals, I assume. As you say, maybe crossfire.

Have to agree with you. Malaysian traffic is the best I have experienced in SEAsia. Try Indonesia and Cambodia. I havent been riding a bike in Vietnam, just travelled by bus, train etc but the traffic looked bad, really bad, especially in the cities.

Colin, I've just re-read some of my notes from when I was riding in Vietnam three years ago. You will find them self-explanatory:

'We headed down the coast along National Highway 1A (NH 1A) for 178 km [110 mi] to the city of Hué, right through the heart of the DMZ (The Demilitarized Zone), which was the battleground demarcation strip of land that separated North from South Vietnamese territory during the Vietnam War.

NH 1A has to be one of the most suicidal roads in Southeast Asia. Death Wish overtaking is standard practise, especially by bus drivers who clearly want to stick to their schedules.'

and

'.. time to leave Hué and make our way back to the border; this time avoiding the NH 1A as far as possible, preferring instead to ride the much quieter and scenic Hồ Chí Minh Highway.'

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In short: the main national trunk roads - i.e. the NH 1A - are very hectic indeed. Get off these and travel along the by-ways whenever possible - i.e. the Hồ Chí Minh Highway (n.b. I don't mean the HCM Trail) and you will find it all the more enjoyable.

And remember: although VN lies entirely within the tropics, its diverse range of topography creates huge climatic variations. With this in mind, I recommend that you take some light-weight wet-weather gear with you.

Have a great time. It's a fascinating country.

Not to dangerous
 

I didn't find it to bad at all if you ride carefully and follow good local advice I spent most of my time in Thailand and Laos( October - March) the GT riders site has good detailed information about riding in Asia and specific advice re Vietnham.Once you get used to it safer than uk in some ways.The main thing it's a great experience and well worth it.
Safe riding
Paul

Yes! .. Exactly the problems of riding in Asia. Poor licence testing, bad law enforcement, macho bahavoir, selfishness - But thats not the same thing in Malaysia - I presume, they implement a British style-driving test like in many different scenarios in MY. I really get the impression these guys know how to drive.

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Here's a story from last week.

So I am on the 76 which is a route that runs from Gerik to Ipoh, and eventually to motorway into KL. The road runs past national park and is a really sparsely populated area. I pulled up to a red light at some x-roads on this 2 lane trunk, I can see for at least two miles in every direction. There is a car to my left, and cars behind me.

So we sit, waiting for the lights do their circulation and I'm really happy to do this, I hate red light jumpers.
I wait for around two-three minutes and no one crosses in any direction and I'm starting to feel the heat. I check every direction and I can't see any traffic so I jump the lights and continue. At the top of the hill, say 2-3 miles away I checked in my mirrors and the cars are still sitting there. Maybe a malfunction in the lights, but these law abiding people are still sitting there patiently for the lights to change.
For me this is unheard of, traffic lights are a free-for-all in Thailand where you have to be vigilant at lights, just because the lights are red, doesnt mean every other road user will stop.

Sorry, for the NDR, I just thought it was really quaint. If you think MY is the worst, then I respect that. :D

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About 15 years back, I rode 2-up on a Minsk through VN - From Sapa down to Hue.

The main problem that I think someone else posted was that on the main routes, coaches and trucks give you no room. You forever have the feeling that the trucks are just an inch away from you elbows.
Maybe better to stay off the roads after dusk, this is when the inter-city buses move and they just don't care.
I remember it just became so tiresome, time after time of near side swipes when my pegs were scraping against the curb at times.

Somedays, I just sat shaking, cold and wet, drinking coffee on the roadside and I just wanted to stop and be teleported out.

Yeah, this is the case. Even though I understand the language, its very hard to get the locals to speak about their concerns and issues with the Vietnamese and Chinese ( along with every other country in the world ) "investment". But yes, from what I gather its protests against exploitation.

On the whole, its a safe place - you probably have more chance of hitting a black pig or buffalo on the road, who have a habit of crossing the road - just get into the habit of riding behind them because ( unlike dogs ) will always continue walking regardless.

its not too bad. just avoid riding at night and watch out for oncoming buses in your lane.
i heard vietnam has just started to accept the IDP? so double check that.

The whole of Asia seem to ride and drive the same.
Just keep your speed down. Keep your eyes open.

Our Vietnam trip was the best we ever had.

Started with 2 rented Honda 110cc semi automatics.
One for me, one for my wife.

Absolutely reliable. 35.00 USD for the month each.
We used 1.50 USD petrol, each bike, each day on average.

Our trip started in Hanoi in the north, then out to Hai Phong to get the ferry to Cat Ba Island.
Stayed there a few days, then ferry back to Hai Phong, and headed south all the way on coastal highway, over Hai Vann pass.

Riding for about 3 to 4 hours most days, and just stopping at whatever hotel was around.

Great trip, would do it again tomorrow if I had a month to spare.

Vette

I had forgotten abut this thread, I just now rediscovered it. Posting for the sake of "body of knowledge".

VN traffic is pretty easy going most of the time. Scooter traffic in Hanoi is hectic, but it's actually quite a buzz. None of our group found it particularly intimidating.

Minibus drivers in VN urgently need re-educating - overtaking where there is obviously no space is just normal to them. However, bus and truck drivers I found to be pretty good by the standards of SE Asia. They do have a weird habit of driving the wrong way down the shoulder "scooter lane" though.

The traveller who offered me a stern warning about VN was well off the mark - I suspected as much, which was why I asked for more advice.

I did not encounter anything to change my opinion that private motorists in Malaysia are the stupidest of all. I'm talking about country roads and highways where poor decisions and low levels of skills can easily result in a fatality, not tame city traffic where it's just an annoyance.

My comparison is Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines.

Many road users in these countries got their license by means that did not provide any useful guidance on risk assessment and mitigation. It's a case of "rider beware" :)