The Rental Setup

The company I had my 5 lessons with recommended a motorbike rental company up the road from them that they trusted and told me had good reliable bikes. Again is was not too far from my apartment, 7/8 minutes bike ride away. 

I do not have a Vietnamese licence so legally I am only allowed to drive a 50 cc motorbike/scooter, which being honest was big enough for my needs driving locally. So I agreed to rent a 50cc automatic for one month, no awkward pedals for gear changes. The bike they offered me didn't have any mirrors attached so I asked if it was possible to have some attached, which the obliged without any hesitation. 

The cost were:

Deposit - 1.7million VND (about £48)

Monthly Rental - 1.7million VND (about £48), including helmet.

I paid these from my Wise account in VND, received a receipt and they sent me a WhatsApp message telling me if I ever had any problems to contact them on that number anytime. They were very helpful, friendly but very professional. The bike looked great. It was a blue Kymco Candy 50cc, as in the picture above.

The Insurance Question

I asked if it included insurance they said yes. When I got home and translated the paperwork to check everything there was no mention of insurance. I rang them up and they just said "I will be ok, but don't crash!!!" I was starting to understand more how life in Vietnam worked.

I wasn't happy with that and eventually sourced some insurance by reaching out through some online Facebook groups. I was shocked that it only cost about £7 for the year. It covered me and anyone I might have an accident with. It gave me some piece of mind. Money well spent.

Facing Hanoi Traffic

I obviously took things very cautiously that first month, and still do, because the traffic and motorbikes here are manic.  

• Bikes come at you from all directions, 

• limiting signalling

• constant beeping

• vehicles cutting corners

But beeping here is different to why they beep their horn back home in the UK. Here it is to warn you they are passing as opposed to you have done something wrong and an angry gesture.

The first week or two , I was hyper-alert. Even short trips left me mentally tired.

Gaining Confidence

But I gained confidence and started using the bike regulatly:

• table tennis 2 or 3 times a week

• the gym

• my girlfriend's house

• supermarkets

• hospital visits

It became part of my weekly life.  So much so I agreed to rent it for a further month.

When I took it in to renew they gave the bike a good inspection, checked the oil, brakes, cleaned it and checked the tyre pressure etc 

I continued to get the benefits from having a reliable , convenient bike so much so towards the end of month 2 and early into month 3 decided I was going to look at buying my own bike. It would work out more cost effective long term.  

My next Blog, part 3 of 3 in this motorbike series, I will share my experience of buying a motorbike, including an electric bike temptation and a unexpected complication.