Buying motorbike for SEA travel; info, license, insurance etc
Replies: 10 - Last Post: Aug 10, 2012 8:51 PM Last Post By: phuottt
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Buying motorbike for SEA travel; info, license, insurance etc
I have been on LP forums trying to find answers to my questions but there are many similar threads but some with conflicting answers and others not asnwering all questions so i am posting a thread with my own query in hope anyone can answer some points or know of a thread i can go to so here goes...I am from the UK and in cambodia now and i want to go to HCMC Vietnam in about 3 weeks and from there travel through most of Asia by motorbike which i am going to try and buy from someone who is selling after completing the Hanoi to HCMC route. I have a full UK driving license with me and have had a CBT bike license 3 years ago but that ran out after 2 years. i don't have an international bike license. I would like to travel up through Vietnam then i have a choice of 2 routes; 1. Up to S. China, Tibet, Nepal, India. or 2. Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia. I understand there maybe be an issue travelling from Vietnam to laos on a Vietnamese registered motorbike now, is that right? I don't know if there will be issues at any other land border crossing on these routes so if anyone knows, has done this kind of trip or knows of a thread with any answers i would appreciate it. Some questions include:
1. For all/some of these countries will i need an international driving license, a CBT test certificate (and if so can i do the test in HCMC?), a seperate license for each country i travel in? It obviously seems best to set off the right docs and cover for the whole trip and i would hate to get to a border on my route only to be denied access due to the bike or not having the right setup.
2. Can i get insurance without having taken my CBT test in the UK? and if so can anyone recommend a company they have used or that accepts CBT tests taken in Asia (if i need the CBT)? I also need to renew my own health insurance before the trip so ideally a combined health and motorbike insurance policy would be best if there is such a policy for my circumstances.
I know there are posts about the safety factor of this kind of trip and i have taken this on board and still want to do the trip so would appreciate, for this thread, advice on everything but safety concerns as the other threads seem to get flooded with this and people arguing there points. I appreciate any advice anyone can give and anything i might have missed out too.
Just to add i have spent a lot of time online trying to find these answers and so i am not looking for the easy route to just ask on here but this is what the forums are for in my opinion especially when in the places i am in cambodi where internet connections have been very dodgy; hence the post on here to find some answers.
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1. Most of my friends have done the trip don't have Vietnamese driver license. It takes a while to get a Vietnamese driver license. You don't have much time for it. So you will be driving illegally.2. You can buy insurance for motorbike in Vietnam for $4 but its just for police check. Don't expect too much from the insurance company in VN cos you will have to go through hassle and paperwork to make them pay if something wrong happened. It takes really long time and keep in mind that you're driving illegally.
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OK, thanks for the replies, so the Vietnamese license sounds out of the question but if the $4 insurance means avoiding any or most police fines then maybe that will do. I guess if i can find health insurance that covers riding a motorbike then the main thing is i will be covered if i am in an accident, hopefully a i can find a company that allows up to 125CC bikes only which would suit me.Does anyone know any further information about whether you can take the motorbike over the land border crossings to Laos, then Thailand, Malaysia and maybe Indonesia?
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Where can you get $4 insurance from in Vietnam?
