Riding a scooter in Sapa is an easy way to get around. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation online about it, and a few bad experiences result in bad advice. As someone that lives in South East Asia and is accustomed to riding scooters in places such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, I decided to put together this guide to help you when renting and riding a scooter in Sapa.
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Table of Contents
- Why Should you Rent a Scooter?
- Where to rent
- How much does a scooter rental cost?
- Can tourists ride scooters in Vietnam?
- Is riding a scooter in Sapa safe?
- Petrol/Gas stations in Sapa
- Make sure you are protected!
- Summary
Why Should you Rent a Scooter?
Riding a scooter in Sapa is a no brainer as far as I’m concerned. In nearly every small town I visit, no matter what country I’m in, I will rent a scooter for at least a day or two. I’ve done it in Langkawi, Penang, Chiang Mai, Da Nang, Ninh Binh and Sapa, just to name a few.
Why?
Because wherever you are, there are always a few attractions that are out of reach of your normal modes of transport. No one wants to be hiring a taxi for the entire day, and hiring a car and driver, while sometimes convenient, can not only get expensive, but can also limit the places you can visit. Not so on a scooter.
When you’re riding a scooter in Sapa you can easily get to places like Cat Cat Village, Love Waterfall, Silver Waterfall and Heaven’s Gate all in the space of a day. With time to spare. There are some gorgeous roads around the mountains of Sapa, with epic panoramic views that hiring a scooter will allow you to explore.
Where to rent
So, if you are going to be riding a scooter in Sapa, you best find somewhere to rent it first.
There are many places to rent a scooter in Sapa. Unfortunately, some of the roadside stalls throughout town can be quite dodgy, and this is generally where the bad advice/experiences of riding a scooter in Sapa come from. Avoid hiring from the side of the road at all costs! No matter how good the deal is.
There are some gorgeous roads around the mountains of Sapa, with epic panoramic views that hiring a scooter will allow you to explore.
The two options I would suggest are to either hire directly via your hotel or homestay, or order from a trusted source online.
If you are staying in a good hotel, they will often deal with a certain hire company, as they will often have guests wishing to hire a scooter. This would generally be a trusted company, as they wouldn’t deal with them if they were receiving complaints.
At your homestay in Sapa, they may have scooters for hire, or even just to borrow. Try asking them and see what they say. The scooters might seem a bit old and dodgy, but the good thing is that (hopefully) your homestay are not likely to cheat you as they have a lot more invested in keeping in our good faith than a roadside stall owner would be.
Finally, and the option I generally choose to go with, is to order from an online agency such as KLOOK or Traveloka. They deal with trusted companies that have been fully tested and therefore are reliable. They’ll usually have several different scooters to choose from, and will deliver directly to your accommodation along with two helmets.
Check out KLOOK at THIS LINK, or the button below, and Traveloka at THIS LINK or the button below.
Scooter rentals in Vietnam can have broken fuel gauges, broken speedometers, seats that don’t lock down and a myriad of other problems. Most of these don’t mean you can’t use them, but it’s good to know before you set out. So make certain to do a full inspection of the bike before you leave, and even take a video of the inspection to cover you, highlighting any dents or scratches that are there when you receive the bike.
How much does a scooter rental cost?
Generally a good scooter will cost from 100,000 Dong to 150,000 Dong per day. If you are after a larger scooter or motorbike, you can be looked to pay up to 250,000 Dong per day. For what you need to get around Sapa though, (unless you are a serious motorbike rider) you shouldn’t pay any more than 150,000 Dong per day.
At KLOOK, you will only be paying around 110,000 Dong, or a little more depending on the size scooter you hire.
Can tourists ride scooters in Vietnam?
Renting a scooter in Vietnam is a lot easier, in my experience, than renting in many other South East Asian countries. Tourists are able to rent scooters from reputable rental companies by presenting their home driver’s license and passport.
In all of Vietnam, they will often take your passport and hold it until you return the scooter. This is what is required if you are renting through KLOOK, and is very common everywhere I have rented a scooter in Vietnam.
Sometimes you will have the option of leaving a deposit, usually around 1 million Dong, instead of your passport, but I found this only in a couple of places as the general practice is to leave your passport.
To ride a scooter in Vietnam, you should have a local Vietnamese license. This is the letter of the law, however no tourists will ever have a local license. As such, I have never known it to be enforced, and when you ask the hire company about it, they will tell you the same thing.
To hire a scooter in Vietnam, you will only need to produce your passport. Some companies will also ask to see your home driver’s license to see if you are licensed to ride a motorbike. This is usually only if you are hiring a proper, manual motorbike though.
If you are pulled over by the police when riding a scooter in Sapa, you may be asked to produce your passport. This can be tough if you have left your passport with the hire company though, so it can be very helpful to carry a photocopy. I personally always have a laminated (in case it gets wet) photocopy with me at all times, as well as other photo ID.
It can also be very helpful to have an International Drivers Permit. While they never ask for them when hiring a scooter in Vietnam, it would go a long way to helping you out if you ever got stopped by police or were involved in an accident. Most Travel Insurance won’t even talk to you if you are involved in an accident and are not properly licensed.
One thing to note is that police presence on the roads in Vietnam is very low. I have personally never even seen police when riding a scooter. HOWEVER – In Sapa I have seen them conducting traffic stops, as there is a big drink driving issue amongst locals in the town, as well as riding without a license. There is a chance you may get pulled over, but they are generally targeting locals and usually are not interested in tourists.
Is riding a scooter in Sapa safe?
Riding a scooter in Sapa is generally safe, if you take a few precautions and are careful. Much like riding a scooter anywhere else.
The roads in Sapa township are good. They are wide and open with a low amount of traffic. When you begin to head from the central square down toward Cat Cat Village though, the road turns to dirt and is very dodgy. Make sure to ride slow and take care on this road and others like it.
The other thing to look out for is when you head further afield and get onto the main road. This will occur if you are heading back toward Lao Cai, or going somewhere like Love Waterfall.
On this road the trucks and buses are crazy! The trucks in particular travel at high speed and WILL shove you off the road if you don’t move. So keep an eye open on your mirrors, and prioritize safety first. If there is a truck coming up behind you, slow down or pull over and let him pass. Otherwise, ride over on the very right hand side of the lane, and give other traffic as much room as possible to avoid you.
Also when riding in Vietnam, be aware that normal road rules don’t apply. Expect the unexpected and ride as if anything could happen at any time. Cars will pull out in front of you without looking, and pedestrians will cross the road suddenly. Always be vigilant!
Petrol/Gas stations in Sapa
There is only one gas station in Sapa.
When you hire your scooter, hopefully it might have a full tank. If so, you will be required to return it with a full tank. If your experience is like mine, your scooter will be dead empty and you will have to fill it up before you even hit the road. Either way you will need to find the gas station.
You can find it HERE on Google maps.
The gas station at Sapa is a free for all. These people DO NOT know how to line up. Get into the “line” and then watch your spot. Push and shove and elbow your way in if you have to, because everyone else will! They’ll ride right to the front of the line and park right at the bowser, totally ignoring anyone else that is there, especially a foreigner.
The mornings are the worst. The good news is that the attendant is very fast, and even turning up with 30 other scooters will only result in a 10 minute wait.
Oh – and they only take cash, obviously.
Make sure you are protected!
I will leave you with one more reminder about travel insurance. If you are in Vietnam, I really, really hope you have it anyway.
If you are planning on riding a scooter in Sapa, or Vietnam in general, then make sure you have good travel insurance. It is likely that you will not be covered in the event of an accident with most travel insurance companies.
Personally, I always use SafetyWing. They have the widest range of activities to be insured for, and in Indonesia I know that I am always covered when riding a scooter, simply because I have the right license. You can’t go wrong with at least checking them out, and I stand by my opinion that they are the best.
Check them out at THIS LINK, or have a closer look at them in my full review HERE.
Summary
Riding a scooter in Sapa is a great way to see this part of Vietnam. It allows you to get out of town and see some of the epic views of the surrounding countryside, as well as visit places you would not be able to get to otherwise.
HELPFUL LINKS
KLOOK – for scooter hire in Sapa
SafetyWing – for travel insurance
International Driver’s Association – for your International Driver’s Permit.
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