Learning to drive tips and Motorbike lessons in Vietnam

  Motorbike lessons in Vietnam How to ride a Semi automatic Vietnam is one of the countries that are best commuted by motorbike. Actually, the first thing a first-time visitor always notices is the overwhelming number of scooters on the roads and the long lineups behind a red light! To give you an idea, back home you see a few scooters a day (if the weather permits), in Vietnam there are millions on the road all year round, as this is the main affordable method of transport. So, if you want to live here, you have two options: (1) walk/take taxes/bum rides and be inconvenienced or (2) go with the flow and ride a scooter. Now, if you are worried about how to ride one, you should know that it is not that much different from riding a bicycle and you can always have motorbike lessons in Vietnam and get the hang of it without spending a fortune. What are the essentials when trying to learn how to ride a scooter? 1. Learn how to ride a BICYCLE in the Vietnamese traffic – Familiarising yourself with the traffic is important. As a pedestrian, things are easy. You just make sure you always walk outside (or across) the traffic flow. As a cyclist, though, you will have to learn how to manoeuvre the bicycle in and out of the flow, identify when the motorist in front of you is going to turn (you won't see much of a turn signal-instead, Vietnamese drivers slightly tilt their heads to the side), and how you can make your way on the road, where car drivers treat everyone else as second-class citizen. 2. Find a bike & Place to practice – It's best to start with a automatic scooter because scooters are lighter and slimmer (hence easier to handle) than manual motorbikes. Once you get the hang of a automatic you can move on to a Semi automatic, and finally a manual. So, having a friend that can take you someplace convenient to learn how to ride your bike is a must or you can join a BASIC TRAINING SCHOOL. There are plenty of empty roads, perfect for the occasion, in suburban districts. 3. Learn the Basics – This will be one of the easiest motorbike lessons in Vietnam! First, sit on the bike. On your right hand, you have the Front brake and throttle. If you are riding an automatic bike, you will have an extra hand brake on the left (Back brake). A fully automatic doesn't have any gears so it's just twist and go! On a Semi automatic you have gears, no clutch your left foot control the gears and your back brake is controlled by pressing your toes down on a lever with your right foot. To change gears with your left foot you click down using your toes and you go up a gear (you can go from Neutral to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th). If you click back using your heel or toes, you go down a gear. After learning how to drive a semi automatic, driving a manual isn't that much more difficult. Hold in the clutch and press down once with your left toe to put the bike into first gear. Hold in the clutch and click the gear up with your toe to put the bike into second gear, and so on up to the 5 or 6 gear. To put the bike into Neutral just, Downshift all the way to first gear, then a light click up will get you into neutral. Neutral is between 1st and 2nd gear. Here are the laws that you should abide by when riding a motorbike in Vietnam: 1. You must have a driver's license to be eligible to ride a motorbike that is larger than 50cc (besides Honda Cubs, this applies to the majority of common bikes). 2. On the rare occasion police stop you (they usually don't stop foreigners), you will have to pay a small fine. 3. You must wear a helmet at all times, regardless of what you believe about the protection provided by wearing one. 4. Motorbike riders can occupy the rightmost lane. All other lanes are reserved for car drivers, although almost everybody in Vietnam rides a bike. It seems that the rules are made by car drivers. 5. No one will yield to you, unlike in other countries. So make your own way. 6. Look for the speed limit that applies to the type of road and vehicle you are riding. There is little signage, though. 7. You can't run a red light, although you will see the exact opposite more times than you can count. Also, you can't go the wrong way on a street or the wrong lane, despite the fact that you will see that happening all the time. 8. Always carry a raincoat. Rainy seasons in Vietnam are not to mess with.