Vietnam is currently only issuing one month Visa’s. Alot of travelers are doing Visa runs in Lao Bao. This is on the HCM road near the Laos border and serves as a good point for extending a one month holiday into more. The one pack wonderes made a video on how to do it.

Visa’s can also be extended with Cambodia (near HCM), or Laos (near Hanoi). Hanoi would be the Na Meo Border.

• $3-$7 will get you a dorm bed and a “free breakfast”, consisting of a piece of bread, egg and coffee.
• $8-15 will get you “a bed” in a hotel with a hard mattress. An old TV, 1/4 working WIFI. Most of the time a hot shower, and sometimes a “free breakfast”.
• $25-50 will get a bed usually with a soft mattress and a hot shower. Nearly working Wifi.
• $50-80 will get a bed with a soft mattress. Usually some service, Wifi and a limited choice breakfast buffet.
• $80-100 will get you a bed with a soft mattress. Service, swimming pool, and a large breakfast buffet.
• $100+ will get you a very nice resort with swimming pools, gyms, spa’s and everything else that comes with a nice resort!

Hotel prices depend on the location and the above list is very generalized. Usually, it is worth attempting to go into the $25-50 category if wanting to travel in respectable conditions. Most remote areas do not have $25-50 rooms. Remote areas have the $8-15 category, so get a good hotel when and where you can!

• Read our full article on Parking and security in Vietnam.
• Motorbikes always go inside a hotel or with a parking guy.
• Parking guys are everywhere, from beaches to coffee shops.
• It is not common to “park up” on the side of the road and go hiking into the jungle. Remember all your luggage is on the bike.
• If you need to lock the motorbike, then the motorbike is not in a safe place.
• Vietnamese can get through locks easily. Use parking guys.

• The gear you bring depends on the type of rider that you are. Tigit has a full article about what to bring and wear.
• Vietnam is cold, hot, sunny and rainy regardless of the month. You should be expecting and preparing for all seasons.
• We recommend bringing as much of your own motorbike gear from home as possible.

Experienced riders

• The gear in Vietnam is not appropriate for “back home” speeds. Tigit is working on resolving this, but it is still work in progress.
• Bring proper helmets.
• Bring rain suits and not rain ponchos (flap in the wind).
• Keeping your packing to an absolute minimum

Casual

• The gear in Vietnam is cheap, but it is not good. Be wary of this when driving and keep your speeds to the local style.
• Rain ponchos are great at low speeds.
• Do not rent a +150cc motorbike and use Vietnamese gear.
• Backpackers always overpack. This is an adventure holiday. Be dirty, or use hotel washing services on route. Carrying a house load of luggage on sub 150cc motorbikes is not a great idea.
• We recommend 15kg or less on our racks.

• Mostly small countryside roads that allow for cars to go in both directions.
• A lot of single track pavement style roads the width of one car.
• Roads are improving, but pot holes can be expected throughout Vietnam.
• Plenty of backroads and single track with Googlemaps.
• Overall – the roads in Vietnam are “good”. There is no need for off-roading “knobbly tires” We equip our motorbikes mostly with road tires.

• In our opinion YES!
• Every tourist destination is within 1 days drive of eachother.
• Vietnamese are helpful and friendly. Willing to help a foreigner in distress.
• Public transport and trucks are amazing. Clients can be rescued from nearly anywhere (eventually). Tigit has a wide reach!
• Food and hotels are everywhere.
• Vietnamese are everywhere. Think you are alone? Chances are a bushmen is watching you!
• Motorbikes are low powered, road speeds are slow.
• Gas stations are everywhere.
• Mechanic shops are everywhere.
• Everything is cheap. Money can buy you out of nearly any situation.
• Vietnam has mild weather (ignore the news). Storms are quickly dealt with. Temperatures are never extreme.
• Rainy season is manageable, again ignore the news. There is no “right” or “wrong” time to travel Vietnam.
• English is nearly everywhere (speak slowly and calmly). People do understand.

• August to September is the best time to travel the North. The weather is mostly stable and the yellow paddy fields bloom.
• Keep in mind this is also stormy season in Vietnam and random cyclones can smash through the area at any point.
• Storms come and go quickly, they usually pass over within two days.
• March and May is also good for allround mostly stable conditions.
• June to August is rainy season.
• December to February are cold, so cold that the snow can fall. Plan for a skiing holiday and you should be ok! A big mistake travelers make when motorbiking Vietnam is to assume everywhere is hot. With Tigit Motorbikes it is possible to send luggage on the train, so plan ahead and have the correct gear sitting in our office waiting for cold weather conditions.

Travellers spend far too much time worrying about the weather and attempting to predict it. Just get on with it and drive, there is nothing that will stop a holiday.
For a full detailed description on weather please read the weather in Vietnam.

For more information please visit our section about how to navigate Vietnam.

Please do not rent from us if you are not adventure travelers. This is an adventure holiday and there is no “perfect season”!

• In cities it is chaotic but people drive unbelievably slowly. Even in a crash you will probably be OK!
• The countryside remains slow, but has less people.
• To avoid crashes drive at the locals pace, they drive slowly (but badly).
• Tigit Motorbikes HCM and Danang are away from the chaos of the city center and have convenient test drive and practice areas.
• For more information on crashes please read our Damage Waiver.