Price for high speed internet and scooter

Posted by kittyurmston (555 days ago)

hi i am moving to HCMC in august. can anyone advise me on the prices for hi speed connection? also the regs for buying a scooter? can u find kid seats for scooters there? not sure i can cope with him sitting and being held 1 handed yet.

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Posted by ldldjr (555 days ago)

Invest in some good helmets before you come, especially if you plan to carry a kid. I suspect that if you buy a scooter from someone directly and GET THE PAPERS you shouldn't have great difficulty. If you want to buy new, want registration in your name, want to do everything legal - tis a hassel! Or at least it is in Ha Noi. If you have a scooter license already, you might be able to get a VN license with minimal hassel - well worth the effort of getting one before you arrive.

Posted by DakLak (537 days ago)

Before you get 'high-speed' (340K) InterNet you will a telephone line and to get that you will need accommodation. Have a look at < http://vietnam.asiaxpat.com/forums/practical/threads/104650.asp >.

In the meantime bring your WiFi adapter and enjoy the many free links that are open around the city.

As for kids seats you will have a hard time although you could easily get one made for little money (the scooters here have extra long seats to accommodate the ideal VN family of 4).

A viable alternative is to put junior in one of those 'Chinese' baby carriers which you can wear either to the front or rear and tie to your body.

By the time junior is 2 he/she should be able to be like a normal VN kid and be practising sounding the horn and standing up in front of you.

As for buying a scooter - you will need a driving licence, insurance and a bloody tough lock and chain. To legally get a driving licence you should be able to speak Vietnamese (a requirement) and take a 'test'. The more practical way is to bring your international licence, some US dollars in cash and find someone who knows someone (bribery).

No licence - no insurance. No insurance - problem. As the other poster advised, papers, papers, papers are needed. It is easier to buy a new machine (USD$1000) but then you have the problem of how to drive in HCMC Vietnamese style. It is a modified form of priority from the right (French) and being able to read minds at a distance.

Accidents are frequent - there are about 13,000 DEATHS ANNUALLY on the roads in VietNam (those that are actually reported)(deaths at home don't count).

I have been here for years and have a 4-wheel vehicle (with three TV inside cameras for proof of who did what) and I still park at the outskirts of HCMC and take a taxi into town. They are absolute lunatics and have little concept of discipline.

At long last the government has decreed that helmets will be worn and the police are cracking down, again, with the opportunity for even more bribe money encouraging them to be ever more vigilant. Motoring introduces you to police, bribes and confiscation of your vehicle. Carry lots of Dong50,00 and Dong100,00 with you - the bribes are usually multiples of these amounts.

As a foreigner you are regarded as a mobile ATM and are ALWAYS the cause of an accident (usually settled in cash at the time of the collision).

How long do you plan to stay in VN? Consider taxis. Honestly.