Binh Duong man spends 70 million to travel 2,900 km by motorbike to Singapore

7 years of planning

On the 2nd day of the Lunar New Year 2024 (February 11), Mr. Nguyen Tan Thuong (34 years old, in Dau Tieng, Binh Duong province) departed from his hometown, rode a motorbike to Hoa Lu border gate (Binh Phuoc), preparing to enter Cambodia to begin his trip to Singapore by road.

At the border gate, Mr. Thuong reunited with his close friend Chau Kiet Phuong (30 years old, living in Ho Chi Minh City). The two have known each other since 2018 thanks to their shared passion for backpacking and have so far planned many times to ride motorbikes together through provinces and cities in Vietnam and three countries, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia.

Mr. Thuong said that this is a trip he has cherished for 7 years, after completing his plan to drive a motorbike to Cambodia in 2017 and travel across Thailand in 2022.

“Riding a motorbike all the way to the Lion Island not only takes time and money, but also requires a lot of administrative procedures. When driving a motorbike through customs in different countries, I have to present various complicated documents,” said Mr. Thuong.

To make the "overseas" trip to Singapore by motorbike, he had to travel by road through Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia.

From Hoa Lu border gate, Mr. Thuong and Mr. Phuong rode their motorbikes along Tonle Sap Lake (Cambodia's Great Lake) to pass through Poipet border gate and enter Thailand.

In the land of pagodas, the two continued to move through Bangkok, stayed one night there, then went to the Malaysian border gate, to Kuala Lumpur. From here, the two Vietnamese guys traveled another 350km, crossed the large bridge in Johor Bahru city (Malaysia) to stop in Singapore, the final destination of the journey.

The total distance that Mr. Thuong traveled by motorbike from Binh Duong (Vietnam) to Singapore was nearly 2,900 km. He estimated that he spent about 70 million VND, of which the travel cost was the most expensive.

“Just the paperwork to bring a motorbike to Singapore accounts for 40% of the total cost, ranging from 25 to 30 million VND, not including maintenance and fuel fees,” he said.

Impressions and memorable experiences

In Singapore, Mr. Thuong and his friend spent 3 days exploring and visiting some tourist attractions such as Merlion Park, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Changi Airport, Singapore Art Science Museum...

They also took the opportunity to enjoy many delicious dishes on the island nation such as frog porridge, milk fish noodles, tomyum fish noodles, and Hainanese chicken rice.

He said he was very impressed with the road system in Singapore. Here, all signs and traffic lanes are designed in a systematic and easy-to-observe manner.

Although impressed with the convenient transportation system and fresh air in Singapore, he admitted that finding a parking space here to rest or check the navigation map is very difficult. Because each central route is often marked with no stopping or no parking signs, drivers find it difficult to stop and look at the map.

Driving here is also difficult because of the large amount of traffic.

Due to language barriers, Mr. Thuong got lost 2-3 times in Singapore. After that, he decided to leave his vehicle and travel by train to tourist destinations.

Not only Singapore, the Binh Duong guy was also overwhelmed by the infrastructure and roads in Malaysia with highways that allow both motorbikes and cars to travel at a speed of 110 km/hour.

While traveling in Malaysia, Mr. Phuong's car ran out of coolant, but fortunately, local friends helped them handle the situation promptly, so it did not affect the journey.

Regarding accommodation, Mr. Thuong said that rooms in Thailand cost from 400,000 VND to 500,000 VND/night, including all amenities. In Singapore, accommodation costs are very expensive.

“Luckily, many Vietnamese people in Singapore support me with a place to sleep, so I don't have to spend a lot of money on renting a room in this country,” he said.

Vietnamese guests also praised Thai cuisine with many delicious and flavorful dishes.

Mr. Thuong revealed that he aims to continue conquering China and Myanmar by motorbike in the future.

Difficulties and notes during the trip

When asked about the difficulties on the way, Mr. Thuong said that almost the entire journey went smoothly, only encountering obstacles with paperwork.

There were times in Thailand when he had to present the necessary documents requested by the local police. Or at the Malaysian border gate, when entering the country, he encountered some difficulties and had to carefully prepare all the information to answer the customs officers.

“In Thailand and Singapore, I cannot contact the authorities directly to get a motorbike pass, but have to search for and contact a service provider. Then, I provide them with the necessary documents such as passport, driver’s license, and vehicle registration,” he said.

Having a background in car repair and having experience traveling many times by motorbike, this time "going abroad", Mr. Thuong did not encounter any problems with his special "companion".

Before the trip, he also thoroughly maintained the car. Parts such as tires, brake pads, and brakes were all completely replaced. In addition, he also brought necessary equipment, in case of problems on the road.

During the trip, he drove an average of 8 hours a day. The weather in the countries he passed through was hot, so he always brought drinking water.

Regarding driving experience, the Vietnamese tourist said that if you want to travel by motorbike, you should equip yourself with some basic foreign language skills to communicate. In addition, unlike many other places, drivers in Malaysia and Singapore have to fill up their own gas.

When traveling in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, vehicles drive on the left lane and at high speeds, which is quite dangerous for Vietnamese tourists who are used to driving on the right.

Therefore, when participating in traffic in these countries, tourists should limit sightseeing while driving, focus on observing turns. When in the leftmost lane, you should go straight or turn left, do not signal to turn right suddenly to avoid surprising the vehicles behind, which can easily cause accidents.