°µÍø½ûÇø

Hi Brice Horner and welcome to °µÍø½ûÇø!

Have you tried to post an advert in Hanoi classifieds? It may help.

Harmonie.

Thank you for that.

I will give it a little more time to see if anyone replies.  I have also been told that there are plenty of suitable bikes for sale at bike shops in the area so that might also be an option.  There appear to be a few travelers selling bikes on similar websites so there is hope yet. 
Thank you for your response.

Brice

Hey,

Check this site out

You can call Clay at 012 859 63559, he will take care of you

There's also buy back option so you can sell the bike in HCMC when you get there.

He's my mate so don't worry, this post is not for commission x

Thank you for that.
I can give him a call when I arrive and see what he has or he can post some suitable bikes for me to consider.
Regards

Don't buy a Russian bike - few spares in TP HCM.

Honda can be fixed by anyone.

The Ha Noi number plates should be fun for you down here. How are you going to get a body to prove ownership down here when the body lives in Ha Noi? You need that magical ID or Residence/Work Permit number

Something to think about.
There appear to be quite a few for sale on craigs/list so I might try my luck there.
Thanks for the reply.

Brice Horner wrote:

I am arriving in Hanoi in early October and after completing a 10 day guided motorbike tour ...

10 days on a m/c ...where are you guys headed? Let me guess....Laos?

The back blocks of Northern Vietnam.

I rode a CB250 and did a 5 day m/c tour to Ha Giang province during Tet. ahhh, the memories. I can't wait to go back this spring and take in another m/c tour. Going to ride 12 days this time....to Laos, you bet!

Ha Giang province is included as part of our trip.  I am really looking forward to seeing the area and the people.  Which is your favourite part of the country?

Brice Horner wrote:

The back blocks of Northern Vietnam.

REMEMBER. some of the areas bordering China require a POLICE PERMIT and some Police Permits require you hire a guide.

Be extremely careful ... police checks are where dodgy licences and ownerships can cause you big problems. If you rent, get a rental agreement.

The police can, and do, even deport you ... to Ha Noi, and that's after house arrest in a hotel!

Assume the prohibited border area is FIVE KILOMETRES unless you know otherwise such as legal border crossings for Foreigners and a few "monuments" such as waterfalls and caves.

Tour guides are often "official guides" and their clients don't need police permits.

Brice Horner wrote:

Ha Giang province is included as part of our trip.  I am really looking forward to seeing the area and the people.  Which is your favourite part of the country?

Definitely Ha Giang b/c of the mountains. The views are spectacular, very dramatic, especially so if the sun is out and shining. You can see the horizon forever. but the most interesting thing is the life of the local villagers nested so high up in the mountains. They dress very colorfully, and live such a hard life. You will know what I mean when you see it. 

Like Jaitch said, a permit is req'd to enter Ha Giang. But your guide will know exactly what docs are needed & where to get them so you don't have to do this on your own. It's like $10 USD for a permit, if I can remember this right. And you get them at a town right before you enter Ha Giang. I think this will be on your 2nd day.

My 2nd favorite place along the m/c tour is Ba Be Lake. Not much to do there but to relax and eat. And swim. Be sure to bring some swimming shorts w/ you b/c Ba Be Lake is somewhat midway betwen Ha Giang and Hanoi.

Thanks guys.  Its great to hear from you and the advice is very welcome.  We do have a guide from a reputable company for the trip north so I am reasonably confident that part will go OK.  I will be travelling alone for two weeks after that on a trip from Hanoi to HCMC.  I will buy a bike in Hanoi and make my way south from there.  I will make sure that I keep at least 5 kilometres away from the border with Laos, Jaitch.  As yet I do not have any fixed plans as to the route south but if you have any suggestions it would be great to hear them.

Regards
Brce