The first and most important thing to say about parking is that in Hanoi motorbikes are extremely easy to steal. They can be gone in the blink of an eye.
Home
At home you should try to keep the bike away from prying eyes and behind securely locked gates and a fence that are tall and that hopefully have something sharp on the top.
The lock should be of good quality and so should the part of the gate or fence that you are locking.
It isn’t unheard of for thieves to leave a padlock in tact and cut the gate around the lock. As is it not also unheard of for thieves to lift bikes over fences up to two metres or more high.
I suggest keeping a bike inside the house, in a locked garage or behind the house out of sight rather than in a front courtyard where it can easily be seen and stolen when you are not at home.
Bike Parks
In Vietnamese the words Trong Xe written on a scrap of card indicate that a certain area is being used as a bike park. You’ll have seen many of these around and in general I’d say they are safe and relatively hassle free places to store a bike for a few hours. I wouldn’t recommend storing a bike there overnight but also feel that if you are familiar with the guards or have a close connection to them in some way that it could be an option. There are one or two points to note:
Get a ticket and do not lose that ticket. Check that either the plate number is written on the ticket or the ticket number is chalked onto the bike
If you lose the ticket there could be a fine and it will be difficult to get the bike without the registration documents, which you do not hold. There are times when leaving a copy of a passport and a letter to say you take full responsibility can persuade a guard to let you take the bike but these are rare. You will normally need to contact us to get the bike for you and it can be troublesome. DON’T lose the ticket!
Find out how long you can keep your bike in the bike park. Often these places will be forced by the police to shut at midnight. If you have not collected your bike by then it will be impounded by the police who will then possibly only release it to the staff at the bike park, even though it is OUR bike, so that they can claim payment for inconvenience. This again makes it difficult to get the bike quickly and causes frustration for everyone.
As a rough guide you can expect to pay between 2,000 to 5,000vnd for a short stay but this will differ depending on location, time of day, public holidays etcetera. I cannot advise on overnight charges as I won’t leave a bike overnight. It goes without saying that you should endeavor to find out how each different place works before leaving a bike there.
In a flat / apartment
A mix of the above advice applies to parking in your apartment. There could be the additional procedure of registering the bike with the guards but this is usually simple and your landlord is the one to do this for you really. Again find out how things work first, then leave your bike there.
On the street
If you are going to leave the bike outside a shop, then check that it is ok for you to do so. The owner / staff will often let you know very quickly if you have put your bike in the wrong place and tell you where to put it. Do take their advice as they spend a lot of time in that location and know exactly what is best for all concerned.
If you park illegally it is likely that the police will impound the bike. This then means we will need to find the local police station that has the bike. Show them the registration documents. Ask that they fine you. Pay the fine, which is in a different office as police do not accept payment of fines. Return to the police station and ask for the bike back. It is long winded and tiresome. Please park in the correct place. Never cause a fuss or raise your voice at the police it will cause a lot of difficulty and no one will appreciate it. Get angry on the way home.
If you leave the bike outside a bar or restaurant that you use then tell them so and they will usually show you where to park or have someone park your bike for you. Then if there is any problem the owner / manager should be responsible and take care of it.
Leaving the bike on the street and not in a bike park is only really an option if you are going to be somewhere for a very short time. In that case it is best to use the steering lock and the front wheel lock whilst you are not with the bike. Check that you have the keys beforehand.
DO NOT leave the bike with anyone other than a bike park attendant who gives you a ticket and with whom you see other (Vietnamese) people leaving their bikes with. If you leave the bike with a random stranger you will at best get the petrol stolen. Parts could be exchanged and the bike could be left for the police to pick up or, at worst, be stolen and sold off as parts. It sounds obvious as does some of the other snippets here but these things do happen.
