The reading room

Tips & Resources

Tips and resources for a Hanoi motorbike rental cover four stages: understanding the quote and documents, setting up the bike, riding by the rules and handling problems.

Automatic Scooters

Wheel Size and Rear Suspension: Choosing a Scooter for Potholes, Speed Bumps and Patched Roads

26/10/2026

Patched strips, shallow holes and raised speed bumps can turn up within a single short trip, and a scooter reacts to each of…

Automatic Scooters

Smart Key Scooters Explained: Proximity Start, Answer-Back and What to Ask at Handover

26/10/2026

A smart-key scooter can look puzzling at pickup: there may be no metal key to push into a slot, only a small fob…

Riding Skills & Safety Planning

Emergency Braking on a Scooter: Practise Using Both Brakes in an Empty Car Park

26/10/2026

A rider who has squeezed only one brake lever during the first days on a rental scooter can discover, in a sudden stop,…

Riding Skills & Safety Planning

Following Distance in Stop-and-Go Hanoi Traffic: Leaving Space Without Being Boxed In

26/10/2026

Following distance in stop-and-go Hanoi traffic is one of the first things that surprises a rider used to wide gaps at home. You…

Riding Skills & Safety Planning

Riding in a Group Through Hanoi: Meeting Points, Spacing and a Plan for a Lost Rider

26/10/2026

A group motorbike ride through Hanoi rarely stays together by luck. Traffic here does not queue politely behind a leader: it flows around…

Riding Skills & Safety Planning

Rusty on a Motorbike? Decide Honestly Whether to Rent in Hanoi After Years Away From Riding

26/10/2026

If you have not ridden a motorbike in years, Hanoi is a demanding place to start again, but it is not an impossible…

Riding Skills & Safety Planning

Night Riding in Hanoi: Visibility, Oncoming Dazzle and Roads to Keep for Daylight

26/10/2026

A visitor who rents a scooter for the day can find the evening plan drifting later than intended: dinner runs on, a viewpoint…

Riding Skills & Safety Planning

Turning Left Across Hanoi Traffic: Scan, Signal and Wait for a Gap You Can Trust

26/10/2026

A visitor on a rental scooter who reaches a wide junction and needs to go left faces a different problem from a straight…

Licences & Legal Eligibility

Learner, Provisional or Restricted Motorcycle Licence From Home: What Official Sources Say About Vietnam

26/10/2026

Whether a provisional learner motorcycle licence from home counts in Vietnam is not answered by name in any page read for this article.…

Breakdowns & Roadside Help

Breakdown Far From Hanoi: Settle Recovery Questions With the Shop Before You Leave the City

26/10/2026

A ride out of the city looks simple on a map: a road, a destination and a day to do it in. It…