Motorbike rental in Hanoi: catalogue

The deposit here is money: from $100 for a scooter to $300 for a motorcycle, and the exact amount is shown on every offer before you book instead of appearing at handover. You get it back when you return the bike undamaged. A photocopy of your passport is normal practice; the original stays with you - why that matters is the next question.

You should not agree, but for a different reason than the one usually given. We could not find a Vietnamese provision that forbids a rental from holding a foreigner’s passport: the ban on pledging travel documents is written for Vietnamese citizens, not for visitors. What is true regardless is that a passport is the property of the state that issued it, not yours. As security it is worth nothing, so the rental gets leverage rather than collateral. Then the practical side: without it you cannot check into a hotel, board a flight or explain yourself to the police, and in a dispute you will pay whatever is asked just to get the document back. Offer cash or a copy. A rental that insists on the original has already told you something about how the rest of the hire will go.

It differs by offer, and we list it explicitly on each one: helmets, phone holder, raincoat, roadside assistance and so on - green means included, orange means paid extra. There is no universal standard, so do not assume: check the card. Fuel is almost never included; you return the bike with roughly the fuel you got it with.

Normal wear - a dead battery, a worn clutch, an engine issue you did not cause - is the rental’s problem: they fix it or swap the bike. A flat tyre is traditionally on the rider, and any roadside shop fixes it for a few dollars. Damage from a fall or crash is on you. Message the rental first at any breakdown; if the offer includes roadside assistance, they come to you.

Honestly: Vietnamese traffic is a hard place to learn. If you still decide to, start on a light automatic scooter, not on anything with gears; ride first at dawn when streets are empty, wear the helmet, skip the rain. Every bike here shows a minimum experience level - it is our assessment, not marketing. And remember the insurance point above: without a licence you ride uninsured.