禁漫天堂

聽 聽 Hi community. I'm sure this has been covered somewhere previously. Tried to find but couldn't. So anyways: I know for cars you got the NN plate (coffee-money magnet?) for foreigners. But I'm about to buy a new 125cc regular motorbike (probably Yamaha Grande) and no, I don't have a wife, girlfriend, family or close VN friend who I necessarily would love to put it under his/her name, odd as it may sound. I do have vietnamese driving license for A2 and also car and a work permit currently for a year. So, can? Or do motorbikes also have the weird NN plates of sorts? Any experience having a motorbike under your own name and not under VN gf/wife/ uncle/aunty/secretary?Thxs for insights.聽 聽 聽 聽 -@danrodri

If you register the bike in your own name, it will have "NN" plates. Make sure you have all the documents (there's a lot!) required when you go for the plates, but you probably already know about those. A benefit of having "NN" plates is that the police will see that you are the owner of the bike, and often will let you slide (language barrier, and there's easier fish to net than you). It also acts as a very effective theft deterrent, as ownership will not be easily transferred to a local from a foreigner.

That said, the reason many expats do not register their new bike in their own name is because it quite difficult to sell/blue-card transfer the bike to a local. It involves quite a bit of rigmarole on the part of both the owner (you) and the buyer. A VN will not risk riding around with "NN" plates, and unless they are buying the bike for pennies, will insist on the vehicle transfer. Registration in your own name will have a negative effect on the resale value of the bike, if that matters to you.

My motorcycle (and a scooter I owned for a little while) is registered under my GF's name, so I'm reporting only what I'd been told when I got the bikes plated.

聽 聽 聽 聽 Hi community. I'm sure this has been covered somewhere previously. Tried to find but couldn't. So anyways: I know for cars you got the NN plate (coffee-money magnet?) for foreigners. But I'm about to buy a new 125cc regular motorbike (probably Yamaha Grande) and no, I don't have a wife, girlfriend, family or close VN friend who I necessarily would love to put it under his/her name, odd as it may sound. I do have vietnamese driving license for A2 and also car and a work permit currently for a year. So, can? Or do motorbikes also have the weird NN plates of sorts? Any experience having a motorbike under your own name and not under VN gf/wife/ uncle/aunty/secretary?Thxs for insights.聽 聽 聽 聽 -@danrodri

If you register the bike in your own name, it will have "NN" plates. Make sure you have all the documents (there's a lot!) required when you go for the plates, but you probably already know about those. A benefit of having "NN" plates is that the police will see that you are the owner of the bike, and often will let you slide (language barrier, and there's easier fish to net than you). It also acts as a very effective theft deterrent, as ownership will not be easily transferred to a local from a foreigner.
That said, the reason many expats do not register their new bike in their own name is because it quite difficult to sell/blue-card transfer the bike to a local. It involves quite a bit of rigmarole on the part of both the owner (you) and the buyer. A VN will not risk riding around with "NN" plates, and unless they are buying the bike for pennies, will insist on the vehicle transfer. Registration in your own name will have a negative effect on the resale value of the bike, if that matters to you.

My motorcycle (and a scooter I owned for a little while) is registered under my GF's name, so I'm reporting only what I'd been told when I got the bikes plated.
聽 聽

聽 聽 -@Aidan in HCMC

I bought a proper motorbike here & the blue card was in the name of the bike shop owner. We then had to get paperwork drawn up at a notary office to say that I actually owned the bike & could sell it. When I did come to sell it I just went back to the same shop & same owner & we had to go back to the notary office with the original docs in hand & it was quite easy really. Think there was about a million +-VND involved in the transaction.聽 The old Mobylette moped (1953) does not have any paperwork, blue card nothing!!

@goodolboy

That's a very good workaround. I like it.

聽 聽 @goodolboy
That's a very good workaround. I like it.
聽 聽

聽 聽 -@Aidan in HCMC

keeps you fit too & its a hot girl trap too, they just love it

@Aidan in HCMC

Reading that locals will never drive an NN plate contradicts it's not a coffee money magnet. If they know police don't stop you seeing NN because there are easier fish to fry, VN ppl would love to ride NN plates. Sorry, wasn't really convincing argument to me. I still believe in the coffee money magnet story. Especially here in Saigon police know the keywords to squeeze you out some bucks. Maybe in province it works but not intending to ride every day to Can Tho and back 馃槄

@goodolboy

Great pic and great idea. Just a follow up question: is the name then under the company or a staff person of the shop? If it's a staff I would worry the guy/girl doesn't work there anymore 2 or 3 years later and then it's about finding them in Vietnam 馃��. How is that?

聽 聽 @Aidan in HCMCReading that locals will never drive an NN plate contradicts it's not a coffee money magnet.

That's a misquote. You didn't read anywhere in my post that VN people would "...never drive an NN plate...".

What I said was (in reference only to the resale/ownership-transfer of the bike), "A VN will not risk riding around with "NN" plates, and unless they are buying the bike for pennies, will insist on the vehicle transfer."

It is the norm to see an "NN" plated bike being ridden by a foreigner, not so if/when it's being ridden by a VN. As a VN they would be inviting scrutiny. Their face, with the bike carrying that "NN" plate, would be an open invitation to be queried. Combine that with their (relatively large) cash outlay to purchase the bike and it becomes understandable why they'd insist on the vehicle ownership transfer. (I stand by my statement that registering the bike in your own name will have a negative effect on the resale value of the bike)

If they know police don't stop you seeing NN because there are easier fish to fry, VN ppl would love to ride NN plates. Sorry, wasn't really convincing argument to me.

No need to apologize. It's probably my fault for not explaining what I meant carefully enough.

Again, a misquote (misinterpretation?). I didn't say, nor imply, that having an "NN" plate would ensure you won't get stopped for any driving infraction(s). You most certainly will get stopped for dangerous driving, speeding, drunk-driving etc. What I said was, "A benefit of having "NN" plates is that the police will see that you are the owner of the bike, and often will let you slide (language barrier, and there's easier fish to net than you)." By that I mean there'd be less likelihood of being stopped for (ahem) "a routine traffic check" or "for a minor infraction"聽 like a broken mirror聽 (a.k.a. the coffee-fund stop).

Over the past 7 years (2.5 years Saigon, 2.5 years T.P.Thai Nguyen/Hanoi, 2 years Phu Quoc) I've been stopped more than a dozen times. Unless it was for something egregious, I was invariably waved on with a "Enjoy Vietnam, sir!", leaving me with little doubt that had the bike been sporting "NN" plates, I probably would not have been stopped at all (or maybe if I wasn't wearing full-face helmet).

I still believe in the coffee money magnet story. Especially here in Saigon police know the keywords to squeeze you out some bucks. Maybe in province it works but not intending to ride every day to Can Tho and back 馃槄聽 聽 聽 聽 -@danrodri

In my experience, and in speaking with other riders, what has become known colloquially as "coffee money" would in fact be best described as a "reduced fine".

As an example, you're caught doing 85 Kph in a 50 Kph zone. The official fine (starting at +20 Kph over the limit) is I believe something like 1 million VND. The officer offers you the choice of being ticketed and paying the official fine, or paying a lesser amount and being let off with a warning. It is, I believe, really that simple.

I've yet to hear of anybody being stopped by the police for nothing, and having money extorted/stolen from them. Mostly it's people griping about being caught, and having to pay anything.

As to your original question(s) in this thread...

So, can? Or do motorbikes also have the weird NN plates of sorts?

You're obviously quite experienced riding in VN. I'm surprised you had to ask this on the forum.

@Aidan in HCMC

Thank you for the clarifications and correcting my sloppy arguments. No problem. Yes...I've been in Vietnam for 3y now. Unfortunately, I wasn't lucky to get the VN driving license fixed to my foreign driving licence expire date, and unfortunately my company so far has only been able to give me a recurrent 1y work permit. So, tbh, I have not renewed my current driving license because (1) it's just stupid to link it to the work permit instead of the one license you copy permits from and (2) it's a pain to renew. So, routine check or not....police can always complain to me. Better not being stopped at all. And then...drunk driving? Omg. You have half beer and they consider it "drunk driving"? Where in the world? So...I guess police always has something to nag about. And if not...just waste your time until you are fed up and prefer to spare the 200k to continue your ride (bike price..not car price of course).

Anyhow, thxs for valuable info. Will try to get shop ownership as I'm unsure how long I will stick around and may want to resell it eventually. All the best

聽 聽 @goodolboy
Great pic and great idea. Just a follow up question: is the name then under the company or a staff person of the shop? If it's a staff I would worry the guy/girl doesn't work there anymore 2 or 3 years later and then it's about finding them in Vietnam 馃��. How is that?
聽 聽

聽 聽 -@danrodri

Hi there Danrodri, it was in the name of the owner of the shop & I kept in touch with him regular as he owns like a biker coffee shop too. I totally understand where you are coming from though.

So what if a Vietnamese citizen purchases the scooter first and then sell it to a foreigner or in my case, Vietnamese American citizen with a 5 year visa exempt or even an expat who is living on 3 month visa? Would the plates get changed to NN when registered? Not sure how the registration of used motorbikes work in VN.

Thanks!

聽 聽 So what if a Vietnamese citizen purchases the scooter first and then sell it to a foreigner or in my case, Vietnamese American citizen with a 5 year visa exempt or even an expat who is living on 3 month visa? Would the plates get changed to NN when registered? Not sure how the registration of used motorbikes work in VN.
Thanks!
聽 聽 聽 聽 -@qnbui

A foreigner in Vietnam on a 3 month visa cannot register a motorbike in their own name. A (minimum) 1 year TRC is a prerequisite to registered vehicle ownership, as I understand it.

A foreigner who purchases a used scooter from a Vietnamese (where the foreigner qualifies for vehicle ownership) will be issued "NN" plates if/when they choose to change the vehicle registration to their own name. There is, however, no penalty for not changing the registered owner's name. "NN" plates expire in tandem with the foreigner's TRC. I'm told there are rather hefty fines for late renewals. "NN" plates seem, the more I think about it, to be a royal pain in the R's!

A Vietnamese American who was born in Vietnam but residing overseas (a "Vi峄噒 Ki峄乽") has the option of registering the scooter in their own name, and being issued non-"NN" plates. This would simply require their re-establishing with immigration their VN citizenship. Due to having been born in VN, and thereby already being de facto Vietnamese, it would not require renunciation of their American citizenship.

A Vietnamese American of Vietnamese ethnicity (through one or both parents) but having been born abroad (a "Ng瓢峄漣 G峄慶 Vi峄噒", or simply "G峄慶 Vi峄噒") will be subject to the same restrictions as other foreigners if they had not been registered as being a Vietnamese citizen at birth. Establishing Vietnamese citizenship for such people would require renunciation of their American citizenship.

@Aidan in HCMC

Thanks Aidan! The service that I used to locate my birth certificate was unable to find my birth certificate so I'm unable to get dual citizenship for now. Once I move to VN, I will try again but as long as I can purchase a new second hand scooter from a VNese citizen and not have to register it, that'll work too.

Another question is, do vehicles in VN like scooters, cars, motorcycles need to be registered every year like they do in the US? If so and one did not register the vehicle in their name, how would one pay for the registration fee?

As far as I know pre-registration of vehicles once a year is not a thing. Unless...apparently, you are unfortunate enough to have a 1y rolling working visa with (sorry...but the more I think about it: STUPID) NN plates. Omg...I wish some of the gov people would read our threads and get rid of ass-paining nonsense for everybody. It's like when I heard that some Viet banks don't allow foreigners to do a certain amount of local transfer because someone in the gov thought foreigners can't handle money as well as local viet's. Troi oi. When on earth will Viet gov get their mind together just a bit. 馃槶

Thanks Aidan! The service that I used to locate my birth certificate was unable to find my birth certificate so I'm unable to get dual citizenship for now. Once I move to VN, I will try again but as long as I can purchase a new second hand scooter from a VNese citizen and not have to register it, that'll work too. Another question is, do vehicles in VN like scooters, cars, motorcycles need to be registered every year like they do in the US? If so and one did not register the vehicle in their name, how would one pay for the registration fee?聽 聽 聽 聽 -@qnbui

As stated by danrodri, not for scooters or motorcycles. I'm unsure about cars, but there's been talk of late about 4-wheel vehicles being subject to yearly safety/emissions inspections.

Omg...I wish some of the gov people would read our threads ...聽 聽 聽 聽 -@danrodri

I'd be willing to bet my last Dong they do.

The service that I used to locate my birth certificate was unable to find my birth certificate so I'm unable to get dual citizenship for now. Once I move to VN, I will try again ...聽 聽 聽 聽 -@qnbui

Think carefully, qnbui, before doing that. I say this due to Vietnam not recognizing dual citizenship. In the event (heaven forbid!) of your experiencing any legal issues here after re-establishing your Vietnamese citizenship, the local authorities would be, if they so wished, in a position to deny you access to American consular services.

That 5-year visa exempt status you've got is sweet, all on its own!

I'm curious. On an American passport, does it state the passport holder's place of birth? I have a lot of Viet Kieu friends back in Canada, and many (most?) opt to not have stated on their Canadian passport their place of birth (optional in Canada). Seems there had been some instances where people who had VN showing on their passport as their place of birth had encountered either bureaucratic and/or legal repercussions because of it. I know of a couple of separate cases where Canadian citizens, having emigrated from VN prior to receiving Canadian citizenship, were handed capital punishment sentences here. This, despite the assurances of the VN gov't to Canada that that would not occur. One case in particular caused quite a bit of diplomatic tension due to the punishment having been meted out during the weekend, when Canadian consular services were unavailable. Again, this occurred despite assurances that it would not. I won't provide a link to either of the cases I'm familiar with, but Google's your friend.

Note to Viet Kieu people returning to/visiting VN:

Watch your "P's and Q's" while here. VN does not give up its own easily.

@Aidan in HCMC

Thanks for the tips Aidan!

So if you're on a tourist visa it's not possible to buy a new bike unless you can come up with a way to register it under a vn national, but no issues buying 2nd hand bikes on a tourist visa?

I was looking in to buying new because there's so many untrustworthy secondhand sellers. If I have a correct blue card that the serial numbers match, and some kind of bill of sale, will I likely encounter problems if stopped by the police? I have a full motorbike UK license and IDP

So if you're on a tourist visa it's not possible to buy a new bike unless you can come up with a way to register it under a vn national, but no issues buying 2nd hand bikes on a tourist visa?I was looking in to buying new because there's so many untrustworthy secondhand sellers. If I have a correct blue card that the serial numbers match, and some kind of bill of sale, will I likely encounter problems if stopped by the police?I have a full motorbike UK license and IDP - @Haarp

Hello Haarp. Welcome to the expat.com Vietnam forum.

Technically, as a visiting tourist you can buy either a new or a used bike. There will always be someone here ready to sell you either. The issue with buying new is that it will not be plated and for that, as you mentioned, registration and plating would have to be under the name of a citizen.

Serial number, and the plate number on the blue card must match the bike's. I'd recommend you keep the bill of sale handy, but not produce it if stopped by the police unless asked for. In Vietnam it is not illegal to drive/ride another person's vehicle, so a bill of sale would only be necessary in the event that the bike has been reported as being stolen. If you do buy a used bike, ask the seller to produce their gov't issued ID card and make note of the details on the bill of sale.

Also, the bike must be insured (mandatory), at a cost of ~$6.00 USD per annum. All that is needed to insure the bike is the blue card (or a copy thereof). It is the bike which is insured, not the driver/rider. When buying used, ask the seller for the current insurance card, if they have one.

Good that you have an IDP. Check the expiry date, as they are valid for only 1 year. There was a recent thread titled, "Legally Recognized Driver's License(s) for Vietnam" you might be interested in reading.

My IDP from the UK is valid for 3 years, or are you saying VN authorities only recognise it for 1 year after entry? In the UK you don't need to be present to get an IDP they just need your passport, so I did dabble on the idea of using FedEx to get a friend to get me another if I needed

My IDP from the UK is valid for 3 years, or are you saying VN authorities only recognise it for 1 year after entry? In the UK you don't need to be present to get an IDP they just need your passport, so I did dabble on the idea of using FedEx to get a friend to get me another if I needed - @Haarp

Who issued you the IDP? Up until Mar 2024 IDPs in the UK were issued only through the UK Post Office (now through .gov.uk).

The IDP website states that the validity period is for only one year.

I'm surprised that the issuing authority which granted your IDP didn't require you to present your valid domestic driver's license. I'm not sure why they'd even need your passport.

I got it from the post office in January this year, I wasn't aware that they were stopping it. On the gov website it does state the 1968 permit is valid for 3 years unless this is old

@Haarp

Good info. Thank you for that.