Honest, legal, sorted in ninety seconds
Most rental problems in Vietnam come down to one thing: nobody checked whether you could legally ride before they took your money. We start there. Here's the whole flow, end to end.
- 01
Tell Kai who you are
Country that issued your licence, whether you hold a 1968 IDP, your dates and where you want to ride. No app, no sign-up — just a chat on WhatsApp or here on the site.
- 02
The legal check — before any bike is offered
Vietnam recognises a 1968 Vienna Convention IDP, and, for Korean riders, a Korean permit carrying the category A stamp under a bilateral agreement in force since July 2023. A 1949 Geneva permit — what the US, Canada, Australia and Japan issue — is not valid for petrol bikes over 50cc, and riding on it can also void your travel insurance. Kai checks your exact country and licence and only ever offers you a bike you can legally ride. Where your licence doesn't qualify, that means a licence-free electric — fully legal for everyone.
- 03
Your match, one honest price
Kai picks the right bike for your trip and quotes one all-inclusive price — delivery, premium helmets, raincoat and 24/7 support included. The rate is the same whatever the length, and any days you add later are quoted at that same rate. No haggling, no surprise add-ons at handover.
- 04
Deposit & handover — your passport stays with you
The deposit is paid in cash on handover, directly to the bike's owner — never wired to a stranger in advance, and never your passport, which stays in your pocket for police checks and hotels. Photograph the bike's condition with the owner at pickup, so there's no 'you scratched it' dispute when you return it.
- 05
Insurance — the honest version
The bike's owner is required to carry Vietnam's compulsory third-party cover (it protects someone you injure, not you) — ask to see the certificate at handover. Because a licence-free electric is legal for you to ride, the "no valid licence" exclusion that voids most travel policies doesn't bite — we'll point you at a traveller medical policy such as Genki and tell you to check its wording covers the machine you're on. Damage to the rental bike is handled by the bike's damage waiver, which is a contractual cap, not insurance. We will never tell you you're 'fully insured' — we tell you exactly what is and isn't covered before you ride.
- 06
Ride — one number the whole way
The bike arrives at your hotel, ready to go. A question on the Hai Van Pass, a change of plan, a few more days — message the same number, day or night, for the whole rental.
What we'll never do
The honesty is the product. These are the lines we don't cross — even when it costs us a customer.
- Put you on a bike you can't legally ride
- Hold your passport as a deposit
- Tell you you're 'fully insured' when you're not
- Wire a deposit to a personal account
- Invent damage to keep your deposit
Find out what you can legally ride: a free 90-second check.
- No passport held
- One all-in price
- Cash deposit on handover
Our standard
Papers before keys.
Not a certificate and not an award — a rule we hold ourselves to, and one you can hold us to. In Vietnam a ride is legal or not legal as a pair: this rider, on this machine. So we check both, in that order, before anything is quoted: you against the treaty tables, and the model against the maker's published figures.
First — you
Before a single bike is discussed, we work out what you may legally ride in Da Nang: which licence you hold, whether you carry an International Driving Permit, and which convention issued it. Vietnam recognises the 1968 Vienna permit and, for Korean riders, a Korean permit with the category A stamp under a 2023 bilateral agreement. If the answer limits you, we say so plainly rather than handing you keys and wishing you luck.
Then — the machine
A model name is not proof of anything. The licence-free class has two limits at once — rated power of 4 kW or under and a design speed of 50 km/h or under — and manufacturers sell near-identical trims on both sides of that line. So we check each licence-free model Kai quotes by its exact trim, against both limits in the maker's published figures. At handover, ask to see the registration papers of the exact bike you are given, before you ride.
What this is not: a government certification, a guarantee that nothing can go wrong, or a promise that you will never be stopped. Ordinary traffic rules still apply to everyone — helmet, phone, lanes, lights. This is us being answerable for the two things that are actually ours to get right.