Motorbike Rental Vietnam
Motorbike Rental Ha Long (2026): 9 Shops, Real Prices & What a Bike Can’t Do
NORTHERN VIETNAM · QUANG NINH · UPDATED AUGUST 2026
Renting a motorbike in Ha Long costs about the price of two coffees a day and turns a rushed cruise stopover into a proper trip. But there is one thing to be clear about before you book anything: a motorbike cannot take you onto Ha Long Bay itself — the limestone karsts are reachable only by boat. What a bike gives you is everything else: the coast road, the bridges, the mountain temples and the fishing villages that tour buses drive straight past. This Ha Long motorbike rental guide lists nine shops with addresses, phone numbers and 2026 prices, explains the licence rules honestly, and shows what is genuinely worth riding to.
- Quick pick: which shop to call
- Nine rental shops in Ha Long
- What you should pay, and the deposit trap
- Licence and IDP: the honest version
- Where to actually ride
- The bay: what a bike cannot do for you
- Getting to Ha Long from Hanoi
- Where to stay, and why the area matters
- Safety, weather and parking
- FAQ
№ 01Quick pick: which Ha Long motorbike rental to call
| If you want… | Call | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Newest bikes, fastest delivery | Kim’s Motorbike | 0338 023 344 |
| Only a few hours, not a full day | Minh Thanh | 0986 322 292 |
| Weekly or monthly rate | Nest Travel | 0979 826 098 |
| Cheapest reliable option | Minh Thanh · Ruby’s | 0986 322 292 · 0833 628 336 |
| Delivery to the bus station | Ruby’s Motorbike | 0833 628 336 |
| Advice from a local owner | Minh’s | 0987 628 336 |
| Group booking, several bikes | Tan Truong Phat Travel | 0972 656 965 |
| Brand-new bikes, national chain | MOTOGO | 0338 023 344 |
№ 02Nine Ha Long motorbike rental shops
Nearly every Ha Long motorbike rental clusters in Bai Chay — the tourist side, west of the bridge, where most hotels are. A few sit in Hon Gai on the eastern side.
Kim’s Motorbike — 86 Vuon Dao, Bai Chay · 0338 023 344
The best-known name in Ha Long, with three outlets. Manual bikes 80,000–130,000₫/day, automatics 160,000–180,000₫/day. Free delivery within Bai Chay, promised in 20 minutes; 30,000₫ elsewhere. Fleet is newer than the local average — Air Blades and Visions rather than tired old Nouvos — and they rent by the half-day too, with discounts from three days.
Minh Thanh — Doc Huong Tram, To 5, Khu 2 · 0986 322 292
The one genuinely different pricing model in town: they charge by the hour rather than by the day. Rent for four hours, pay for four hours. Manual 80,000–100,000₫/day, automatic 130,000–140,000₫. Ideal if you only need wheels for a morning run up the coast.
Nest Travel — SN106, Toa S7, Sunrise Apartments, Hoang Quoc Viet · 0979 826 098
Manual 100,000₫, automatic 150,000₫ per day, but the reason to call them is long-stay rates: from around 1,000,000₫ per week and roughly 2–4 million₫ per month. Bikes are serviced on a schedule.
Ruby’s Motorbike Rentals — 54 Bai Chay · 0833 628 336
Manual 100,000₫, automatic 130,000–150,000₫. All bikes come with proper registration papers and insurance — worth having if you are stopped. Delivers to you, including to the bus station, for a small fee or free depending on distance.
Minh’s — 10 Hoang Quoc Viet, Bai Chay · 0987 628 336
Manual around 130,000₫, automatics from 90,000₫ up to 180,000₫ depending on model. The owner is a local who genuinely enjoys planning routes for guests — if it is your first time in Ha Long, ask him where to go.
Tan Truong Phat Travel — Hai Long, Hong Hai · 0972 656 965
On the Hon Gai side. Manual 130,000₫, automatic 150,000₫, with better rates for groups or longer rentals. Staff are used to advising on itineraries.
Vuon Dao — 1B Vuon Dao, Bai Chay
Manual 80,000–130,000₫, automatic 160,000–180,000₫. Fleet is mostly under three years old and prices are posted on the wall, which is the simplest protection against holiday-season mark-ups.
Sun World Quang Ninh area — near Sun World, Bai Chay
Convenient if you are staying beside the cable car and theme park. Manual around 130,000₫, automatic 180,000₫, newer models, flexible paperwork.
MOTOGO — national chain with a Ha Long presence · 0338 023 344
Fleet replaced roughly every two years, and each rental includes notarised copies of the registration, insurance, a 24/7 breakdown card, a raincoat and two helmets. Prices published openly on their site. The safest choice if you dislike negotiating.
A note on this list: prices and phone numbers come from Vietnamese listing sites published in 2025–2026, several of which are run by rental companies themselves — so treat rankings there with suspicion and confirm the rate by phone before you commit. Two shops on our list share a hotline number in the original sources, which suggests some listings are recycled. Call first; if the number does not match the shop name, walk away.
№ 03Ha Long motorbike rental prices, and the deposit trap
| Type | Fair daily rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Manual (Wave, Sirius) | 80,000–130,000₫ | cheapest, best on hills |
| Automatic (Vision, Air Blade) | 130,000–180,000₫ | easiest for beginners |
| Half day / hourly | from ~50,000₫ | rare — Minh Thanh does it |
| Weekly | from ~1,000,000₫ | ask, it is not advertised |
| Monthly | 2–4 million₫ | depends on model |
| Delivery | free–30,000₫ | free inside Bai Chay at most shops |
- Never leave your passport as deposit. This is the single most important rule when renting anywhere in Vietnam. Offer a cash deposit or a photocopy instead. A shop that insists on holding the original is a shop to leave.
- Photograph the bike before you ride off. All four sides plus the odometer, with the owner watching. Two minutes that end most disputes about scratches.
- Check brakes, lights, horn and tyres on the spot. Coastal air here corrodes brake cables quickly.
- Ask for the registration papers (a notarised copy is normal and legal) and a second helmet if you have a passenger.
- Agree the fuel policy. Most bikes are handed over nearly empty — that is standard, not a scam; just note it.
- Prices rise in peak season (Vietnamese summer holidays, June–August). Shops with prices posted on the wall are the ones least likely to improvise.
№ 04Licence and IDP: the honest version
Many Ha Long motorbike rental shops will hand you a bike without asking for anything. That does not make it legal, and this is where honest advice matters more than a sale.
For a bike over 50cc you legally need a Vietnamese licence, or a foreign licence plus an International Driving Permit issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention. Permits issued under the older 1949 Geneva Convention — which is what many US, UK and Australian motoring associations still issue by default — are not valid in Vietnam.
Why it matters beyond fines: if you are riding without a valid licence and have an accident, your travel insurance will very likely refuse the medical claim. That is the real risk, not the police check.
We wrote a full explainer on which permit is valid and how to get one: the IDP guide for Vietnam.
If you do not have a valid permit, the sensible options are a bicycle for short distances, a Grab bike, a private car with driver for the day, or a guided tour where the driving is somebody else’s responsibility.
№ 05Where to actually ride
Ha Long the city is not beautiful — it is a working port with high-rises. The reward is in what surrounds it, and that is exactly what a bike unlocks.
- Bai Chay Bridge at dusk. The cable-stayed bridge linking Bai Chay to Hon Gai, lit up after dark, with the bay behind it. Five minutes from most hotels and the best free view in the city.
- The coast road east towards Cam Pha and Cua Ong. Around 30–40 km of sea on one side and karst hills on the other, ending at the hillside Cua Ong Temple. The single best half-day ride here.
- Yen Tu Mountain — roughly 60 km west, the birthplace of Vietnamese Truc Lam Buddhism, with pagodas scattered up the slope and a cable car if you would rather not walk. A full day out.
- Quang Ninh Museum and the coastal promenade in Hon Gai — the black glass building is genuinely striking, and the seafront road beside it is an easy evening loop.
- Local seafood at Cai Dam market rather than the tourist restaurants on the main strip — five minutes on a bike, half the price.
If you would rather have the day organised for you — or want to combine riding with a guided activity — the local operators list their trips here: tours and activities in Ha Long.
№ 06The bay: what a bike cannot do for you
Worth stating plainly, because a surprising number of visitors arrive expecting otherwise: Ha Long Bay is water. The 1,600-odd limestone islands, the caves, the floating fishing villages, the kayaking — all of it is reached by boat from the harbour. No road goes there. A motorbike gets you to the pier and to the viewpoints on land, and that is the limit.
So the practical plan for most people is a split one: one day on the water for the bay itself, one or two days on a bike for the coast, the temples and the food. The bike costs about 130,000₫ a day; the boat is the expensive part, so it is the one worth choosing carefully.
Day cruise or overnight? A day cruise (roughly 6–8 hours) covers the classic sights — Surprising Cave, Titov Island, kayaking at Luon Cave — and gets you back for dinner. An overnight cruise buys you the bay at sunrise and after the day boats leave, which is when it looks like the photographs. If you have the time, overnight is the one people rarely regret.
Bai Tu Long and Lan Ha bays, immediately adjacent, have the same scenery with a fraction of the boat traffic — worth asking about if crowds bother you.
Cruises and day trips on the bay: compare Ha Long Bay boat tours and cruises.
№ 07Getting to Ha Long from Hanoi
Ha Long sits about 160 km east of Hanoi. Since the expressway opened the trip takes roughly 2.5 hours by road, which makes an overnight trip realistic and a day trip merely exhausting.
- Limousine minibus — the popular choice: 9–11 comfortable seats, hotel pickup in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, door-to-door in Ha Long. Book a day ahead in summer.
- Regular coach — cheapest, runs frequently from My Dinh and Gia Lam stations to Bai Chay bus station.
- Private car — worth it for three or four people sharing, and lets you stop at Yen Tu on the way.
- Riding your own bike from Hanoi — possible but not enjoyable: motorbikes are banned from the expressway, so you take the old highway through heavy truck traffic. Most riders take a bus and rent locally instead, which is exactly what this guide assumes.
Schedules, live prices and booking for all of the above: Hanoi to Ha Long transport options.
№ 08Where to stay, and why the area matters
Where you sleep decides how useful a bike is, so pick the area first and the hotel second.
Bai Chay — the tourist side west of the bridge. Almost all hotels, restaurants, the cruise harbour and nearly every rental shop are here, and delivery is usually free within this zone. For a short trip, stay here.
Hon Gai — the eastern, local side. Cheaper rooms, better and cheaper food, the museum and the night market, but you will cross the bridge for the harbour. Good if you are staying longer or want fewer tourists.
Tuan Chau Island — resort island connected by causeway, close to the marina. Quiet and convenient for an early cruise, dead in the evening.
Compare rooms and prices by area: hotels in Ha Long.
№ 09Safety, weather and parking
- Weather makes or breaks the trip. October to April is dry and clear — the best riding. June to August is hot and is also typhoon season; storms can close the bay to boats for days at a time. Winter (January–February) can be cold and misty, which flattens the views.
- Coal trucks. This is a mining province and the road east towards Cam Pha carries heavy lorries. Keep right, do not overtake on blind bends, and give them room.
- Helmets are compulsory and enforced. Shops provide two — check the strap actually works rather than accepting a token shell.
- Never ride after drinking. Vietnam applies a zero-alcohol limit for riders, penalties are heavy and enforcement is routine.
- Parking: use guarded lots (gửi xe) at the market, museum and cable car — typically 5,000–10,000₫. Keep the ticket; you need it to get the bike back.
- Fuel: stations are plentiful in the city but thin out towards Yen Tu — fill up before leaving town.
- Rain gear: most shops include a poncho. Sudden downpours are normal from May onwards.
Renting a bike is the same everywhere in Vietnam: the price is never the problem, the deposit is. Pay cash, keep your passport, photograph the bike. Do that and you will have a good trip.
Heading south to Hoi An after Ha Long?
We are Anh Khoa Hoi An Motorbike Rental — 84 Phan Chau Trinh, 1,000 km down the coast. If Ha Long is the first stop on a longer Vietnam trip, we rent scooters, electric bikes and bicycles in Hoi An with free hotel delivery, and we are happy to answer route questions even if you never rent from us.
FAQRenting a motorbike in Ha Long — your questions
How much does it cost to rent a motorbike in Ha Long?
A manual bike costs roughly 80,000 to 130,000 VND per day and an automatic scooter 130,000 to 180,000 VND per day. Weekly rates start around 1,000,000 VND and monthly rates run about 2 to 4 million VND. Delivery is often free within Bai Chay and about 30,000 VND further out.
Can I ride a motorbike around Ha Long Bay?
No. Ha Long Bay is water and its islands and caves are reached only by boat from the harbour. A motorbike is for the mainland: the coast road east towards Cam Pha and Cua Ong, Bai Chay Bridge, Yen Tu Mountain and the local markets. Most visitors combine one day on a cruise with one or two days on a bike.
Do I need a licence to rent a motorbike in Ha Long?
For a bike over 50cc you legally need a Vietnamese licence, or your home licence together with an International Driving Permit issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention. Permits issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention are not valid in Vietnam. Many shops will rent without checking, but riding unlicensed usually voids your travel insurance if you have an accident.
Should I leave my passport as a deposit?
No. Offer a cash deposit or a photocopy instead, and treat a shop that insists on keeping your original passport as a reason to go elsewhere. Also photograph all four sides of the bike and the odometer before riding away, which prevents most disputes over existing damage.
Which area of Ha Long should I stay in?
Bai Chay, west of the bridge, has almost all the hotels, restaurants, the cruise harbour and nearly every rental shop, and most shops deliver free within it. Hon Gai on the eastern side is cheaper with better local food and fewer tourists. Tuan Chau Island is quiet and convenient for an early cruise departure.
How do I get from Hanoi to Ha Long?
Ha Long is about 160 km east of Hanoi and takes around 2.5 hours by expressway. Limousine minibuses with hotel pickup are the most popular option, regular coaches from My Dinh and Gia Lam are cheapest, and a private car suits small groups. Riding your own bike is possible but unpleasant, since motorbikes are banned from the expressway.
What is the best time of year to ride in Ha Long?
October to April is dry and clear and gives the best riding conditions. June to August is hot and falls in typhoon season, when storms can close the bay to boats for several days. January and February can be cold and misty, which spoils the views.
Updated August 2026. Shop addresses, phone numbers and prices compiled from Vietnamese rental listings published in 2025 and 2026; several of those sites are operated by rental companies, so always confirm the rate by phone before booking. Photographs on this page are from our own rental fleet in Hoi An and are illustrative of the bike types described. Disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links to booking partners — if you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We are a motorbike rental business in Hoi An, not in Ha Long, and we have no commercial relationship with any shop listed above.
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