PRICES DURING PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

This page is about Vietnam guided or self-guided Vietnam motorbike tours prices. We are not talking about big group tours by bus, train or other means of transport. By far, motorbiking in Vietnam has been the best way to experience this country.

As a note, during public holidays, high seasons, special events, and festivals the prices of services can be from two to ten times more than the normal prices. Therefore, we normally don’t organize guided motorbike tours during these occasions. Bike rentals for unguided tours are still available but make sure you book before we are on holiday.

GUIDED / SELF-GUIDED VIETNAM MOTORBIKE TOURS PRICES

You probably heard or knew that Vietnam is a cheap country to travel to, but that’s for classic travel like big groups by bus and mass tourism and touristy places. When it comes to small group adventure motorcycling, kayaking, rock climbing, etc. which are high-risk specialty adventures then you should allow a higher budget for your travel. This is the same everywhere, not just in Vietnam. Below are the most typical Vietnam motorbike tours prices that we pay in order to have fresh and delicious food (not chemically frozen food at roadside stores or Chinese products!), comfortable places to stay, good touring bikes, and a fantastic trip. You get what you pay for. If you try to save money, people will overcharge you for things or services you don’t know and this is how scams happen.

TOURING BIKE RENTALS

Bikes in Vietnam are everywhere but there are not many real touring motorcycles, mostly scooters. Most touring bikes were imported products and 120% taxes make them at least two times more expensive than in your home country. For example, a legally imported new Honda dirt bike CRF250 costs over 10,000$US in Vietnam while it costs 4,100$US in Thailand where this bike was manufactured. This means it could cost nearly as much as a new Honda CBR600RR in your home country! Therefore, most touring bikes in Vietnam are old and not cheap, except for unreliable Korean or Chinese copycats. Many people don’t know about this until they arrive in Vietnam. If you had a motorcycle rental business in Vietnam, would you be willing to buy 10,000$US 250cc bikes and rent them out for around 30-40$US/day? Please be realistic, don’t try to be fussy or picky.

Rental prices start from around 10$US/day/bike for new semi-automatic scooters, 15$US/day/bike for 125cc new touring motorcycles, and 25 to 35$US/bike/day for 125-250cc dirt bikes (125cc off-road motorbikes are new 2013-2014 models). Our motorbikes are all Japanese Honda products that were made in Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, or China. They are not Chinese products.

We have been receiving some requests for a Chinese copy of the Honda Win 100cc from tourists who travel on a tight budget. Well, this is very different from what we do and the truth is at this link. You can be luckier with these Chinese copycats but a big chance you have to pay for repairs along the way almost every day. In the end, you simply can’t save but lose money! Sorry, we couldn’t help if this is what you want.

MOTORBIKE TOURS PRICES FOR PETROL

Fuel is not cheap in Vietnam because of taxes. We pay more than in the US for fuel and the quality of fuel is better in big cities. Some filling stations, especially on roadsides usually short-fill and even put in more ethanol or water! The fuel price is controlled by the government and is updated every 15 days.

At the moment 1 litre of the cheapest E5 RON 92-II gasoline costs from 21,870 to 22,300 VN Dongs (~0.87 – 0.9$ US). If you ride about 200km/day think about 6 – 12 $US/day depending on the type of bike.

BIKE REPAIR

Motorcycle repair is cheap in Vietnam. There are generic Chinese parts and genuine parts. Most shops offer cheaper ones and you never know when they break down. Only a few mechanics know how to fix manual clutch touring bikes, most only do scooter repairs. When you are on your own, you are likely to pay more because you don’t speak Vietnamese (mechanics don’t speak English) and some dishonest shops may change parts or charge more. Therefore, it’s very important to know the repair basics to avoid getting ripped off. If you just know how to ride motorbikes then you are not qualified for a self-guided trip!

ACCOMMODATION

Hotel facilities in remote areas that most riders want to see are low standards and expensive because they don’t have enough business. In addition, they need to buy products from big cities or shops near them. People do both farm work and tourism in these areas for a living. A comfortable room cost is from 20$US to 30$US/night. There are not many luxury hotels in the mountains. Note that the stars of hotels in Vietnam are not the same as in your home country. It’s different here and standards are lower, remember you are riding in a developing country!

LOCAL FOOD

The food is cheap because most are local products. However, don’t be surprised if you have to pay higher drink costs in villages than in restaurants or even bars. Typically, breakfast costs 2-4$US/person, and lunch or dinner is around 7$US/person. Drinks are around 1$US each. On our tours, we order fresh and quality local food, not frozen or Chinese products! We try to avoid street food which is either dangerous or not well-cooked. Many people thought food is cheap in Vietnam but it depends on what you eat and the quality of the food. We know the difference between good food and dangerous food!

VIETNAMESE TRAFFIC

Traffic in Vietnam is dangerous and scary. You can’t travel in a very big group because you may block the road. The riding experience is very important because Vietnamese traffic is very scary. FYI, 22 people die from road accidents every day and most (at least 60%) are motorbike riders!

TOUR GUIDE

Local people in the countryside don’t speak much English. It’s hard to communicate or understand their customs, traditions, and culture. An English-speaking unlicensed local guide costs about 25$US/day while a good licensed tour guide costs between 50 and 70$US/day depending on the number of riders in your group. Note that our guides are professional bikers and speak excellent English, not easy riders or motorbike taxi drivers!

Most of our customers book fully guided and supported trips and they will be guided by professional and licensed English-speaking tour guides. The cost seems high at first but they all enjoy their rides and are in safe hands. We take care of everything and what they do is to ride, relax, and enjoy. A professional guide is 4-in-1: handy mechanic / guide / leader / translator. The cost of such a great guided Vietnam motorcycle tour is just 99$US/day/person (for a group of five riders and by 125cc manual road bike). To have more details about our Vietnam motorbike tours prices, please visit this link.

Just contact us with your inquiry and questions about motorbike tours prices in Vietnam and we will get back to you with more details or any information you need.

You can watch this video about typical guided dirt bike tours of Vietnam, suggested for intermediate and advanced riders. Without a guide, you won’t likely find these roads!