living on a sailing boat in vietnam. boatimport and live aboard legal?

That's a nice dream 
I don't think Vietnam cost guards will allow you to do so.
May be they think you are Chinese spy    and send you behind the bars!

Sail on up to Quang Ngai, you will be more than welcome, ( and they will pay you as well ) BTW, is your boat made of steel?,  also being able to have 20 or 30 VN's living about for a month at a time, would be a huge advantage.

bluenz wrote:

Sail on up to Quang Ngai, you will be more than welcome, ( and they will pay you as well ) BTW, is your boat made of steel?,  also being able to have 20 or 30 VN's living about for a month at a time, would be a huge advantage.

Don't forget to hang a large red flag with a big golden star in the middle of it from your masthead first. 

How are you at fishing -  and dodging other boats ? (a steel hulled boat would be a huge advantage !   

The local fishermen will be only too happy to show you the best fishing locations and even go out with you. (just to make sure you find the right area)

thanks for your creative advise. Now, Is there any one with a brain out there, which actually produces more than this hopless crap?

cheers, Dan

fuzzzl wrote:

thanks for your creative advise. Now, Is there any one with a brain out there, which actually produces more than this hopless crap?

cheers, Dan

Anyone with a brain wouldn't be in your situation Mate, what do you expect from a Commie country?, try Googling a few VN Govt depts for info, ( they have English translations ), Ex Pats here, have their feet firmly planted on the ground.
That was genuine advice I gave you, the VN Govt is paying each fisherman an extra 12 mil VND a month, ( on top of their fishing pay ),  to get on a fishing boat in QN, maybe with your own boat , they will pay you much more , and overlook the Visa requirement, ( permanent address )

Aaah okaaay, so your where actually serious with this... Well in this case, thank you for your genuine advice, but I was not asking for this kind of advice. I am only interested in regualations regarding private ships and boats being imported to VN and living on board. And of course I did have a look at goverment dept sites and imagine that... I even know Google. Guess what... I could not find any information about those issues! So I was hoping to find some help here. Turned out I was wrong... ok... must be my lack of brain. And maybe this is also the reason why I expect much more from the, "Commies"(as you call them) as I would ever expect from the "Capies". But if this really is lack of brain, than I prefer to be braindead and broke in communism than being "smart" and lead by an illusion named money!

cheers, Dan

Dan,
it's not a matter of being a 'communist state' or even a 'one party state'.
It's just the way everything here in Viet Nam is run, has been run in the pass, and probably will continue to run in the foreseeable future.
The Vietnamese have their own way of doing things and they don't seem to be interested at all in changing anything.

There's a government department or agency for everything.   Each has it's own rules and responsibility.
The People's Central Committee changes the rules and regulations all the time - usually without warning.
The interpretation and enforcement of these rules and regulations seem to vary from agency to agency, city to city.
Even from one level of authority to the next level up within the same office.   
It DOES get very confusing and frustrating at times.   BUT, - this is Vietnam ! 
('donated' money, ('coffee money') with your paperwork to the right people in any government department or agency you deal with helps out in most cases.  Don't make it too obvious as you hand it over. Just ask how much, slip that amount in your papers as they get handed over each time.)

The officials at the German Embassy or the German Consulate should be able to tell you the amounts to expect to pay for everything you require.

You could get the best advice from -
The Germany Embassy Vietnam. 
Address: 29 Tran Phu. Ha Noi - Vietnam.
Phone: (+84-4) 3 845 38 36/7 (+84-4) 3 843 02 45/6  Fax: (+ +84-4) 3845 38 38 
E-mail     info@hanoi.diplo.de
Website     www.hanoi.diplo.de
( Opening hours of the - unlisted )

Or -

Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ho Chi Minh City.
Address: 126 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D.3 Ho Chi Minh City.
Tel: (+84) 8 3829 1967  Fax: (+84) 8 3823 1919.   
E-mail     info@ho-chi-minh-stadt.diplo.de
Website     www.ho-chi-minh-stadt.diplo.de
Opening times of the Consulate General: Monday - Thursday:     7.30 clock - 15.15 clock. Friday:     7.30 clock - 13.30 clock

Stay away from the lawyers !

To be honest, never heard of non-Vietnamese living on their own boat in a city harbour, river or just off the coast of Viet Nam before.

Good luck !   

Flip465 wrote:

Dan,
it's not a matter of being a 'communist state' or even a 'one party state'.
It's just the way everything here in Viet Nam is run, has been run in the pass, and probably will continue to run in the foreseeable future.
The Vietnamese have their own way of doing things and they don't seem to be interested at all in changing anything.

There's a government department or agency for everything.   Each has it's own rules and responsibility.
The People's Central Committee changes the rules and regulations all the time - usually without warning.
The interpretation and enforcement of these rules and regulations seem to vary from agency to agency, city to city.
Even from one level of authority to the next level up within the same office.   
It DOES get very confusing and frustrating at times.   BUT, - this is Vietnam ! 
('donated' money, ('coffee money') with your paperwork to the right people in any government department or agency you deal with helps out in most cases.  Don't make it too obvious as you hand it over. Just ask how much, slip that amount in your papers as they get handed over each time.)

The officials at the German Embassy or the German Consulate should be able to tell you the amounts to expect to pay for everything you require.

You could get the best advice from -
The Germany Embassy Vietnam. 
Address: 29 Tran Phu. Ha Noi - Vietnam.
Phone: (+84-4) 3 845 38 36/7 (+84-4) 3 843 02 45/6  Fax: (+ +84-4) 3845 38 38 
E-mail     info@hanoi.diplo.de
Website     www.hanoi.diplo.de
( Opening hours of the - unlisted )

Or -

Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ho Chi Minh City.
Address: 126 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D.3 Ho Chi Minh City.
Tel: (+84) 8 3829 1967  Fax: (+84) 8 3823 1919.   
E-mail     info@ho-chi-minh-stadt.diplo.de
Website     www.ho-chi-minh-stadt.diplo.de
Opening times of the Consulate General: Monday - Thursday:     7.30 clock - 15.15 clock. Friday:     7.30 clock - 13.30 clock

Stay away from the lawyers !

To be honest, never heard of non-Vietnamese living on their own boat in a city harbour, river or just off the coast of Viet Nam before.

Good luck !   

Ah thank you , finally someone with a " brain ", with his smart arse attitude I'm surprised anyone would want to help him after his last posts, must the his German superiority/arrogance coming out??? ( We might have a Sauer Kraut here?, Germany is far too close to France ).

The original budget of $10,000 would not go far in getting you around the world. Take it from someone who has done a circumnavigation.

And if you are allowed to stay in Vietnam on your boat you will need to have it guarded each time you leave it to go ashore.

thanks a lot for that, mate. I am not planing to make them change anything ;-) I will adapt as much as necessarry and try to have a nice time here. I will also try to stay away from the cities and try to stick with rural coastal areas. Had no Idea that the german officials would give you advice in terms of "coffee money" ... didn't view it from that point. I will go there right now and see if that brings something.

cheers for your help mate!

Dan,
the German officials most probably won't even mention 'coffee money' (or 'beer money') to you.
Maybe just a very quiet warning of how things work with regards to 'donated monies'.
Officials have an obligation to be respectful to the country and it's people to which the German government has sent them to represent Germany.
I was referring to the way things work when dealing with the local government agencies.

Whenever it's possible, I always have my wife with me 100% of the time when dealing with any government agencies. That means for everything at every agency, every time.
Saves time, avoids confusion, keeps everyone as honest as can be expected, saves money and keeps the 'hawkers' away as well.
Classic example of a Vietnamese 'hawker' - when we went to get my VN driver's license between the time we parked her bike 15m from the licensing center's doorway and getting inside the building, I was offered a VN driver's license half a dozen times by various 'hawkers'. All promised those licenses are 100% legal. 
One of those who offered me a license was even a member of the Cong An (traffic police) and he was in uniform !
Prices varied from the equivalent of US $10 up to US $200 !   

This sort of thing happens with just about every government agency throughout Viet Nam. It's just the way things are.
Wages are low here and unsuspecting tourists are an easy way to get an easy 'bonus' payment.


With the help of my (now) wife, got my 100% legal VN driver's license after filling out all the required papers. Already had my passport, visa, the required extra passport photos, civilian driver's license from Australia and Israel, official transcribed and stamped Vietnamese government copies of everything, (International driver's license is NOT recognized in Viet Nam) official residence ID from my apartment's managing committee. Took a couple of hours all up to get everything completed, but it was worth it. PLUS, because my wife oversaw every piece of paperwork, I was charged only the official rate.
(admittedly, we did give the clerk verify the papers an extra US $5 to smooth things out and get all papers through as quickly as possible. My wife said that is perfectly normal)
At was several years ago in Sai Gon, at the time I was only on a 3 month tourist visa so the license should have been restricted to motorbikes of 175cc or less and only valid for the length of time on my visa.

Good thing VN officials never make any mistakes. 
My license is still valid for many more years to come and apparently I can legally drive any sized motorbike or car I like. 

Good luck getting everything sorted out and enjoy your stay in Viet Nam. 
Just be open and friendly without appearing ignorant of the Vietnamese ways of doing things or their customs and you'll find the average Vietnamese are a wonderful, friendly, open and helpful people.

"  I will also try to stay away from the cities and try to stick with rural coastal areas. "
  Dan, an observation from someone who has been living in a rural coastal area for a number of years now, I've found these rural area's are worse than the cities for obeying the old regime, i.e, VN flags are compulsory on every house, there are several places around here where you are not allowed to take photos; i.e,  the old gun emplacement on the Quang Ngai bridge, the fishing port near my wife's house,(  I am the only Foreigner allowed to stay overnight in her commune ), they seem to be more sticklers of the red tape, ( especially where Foreigners are concerned ),  my dog has to go in a cage on the back of my bike, I'm not allowed to tow my m/b trailer, I'm still waiting to see what else I'M not allowed to do. ( thank god , I've haven't upset any of them yet ).

Which is exactly why I let Uyen do all the talking to officials at every level. 

Mind you, the card my friend and neighbour gave me, with the hand written note on the back, tends to get a hell of a lot of respect from the Cong An at every level. 
Only been stopped twice while riding. First time just kept saying " What ???" to everything they said. After about 20 minutes they gave up and told me to " Di - Di "
Second time, showed them my license, insurance, bike ownership papers, then that nice little card - got a load of salutes and waved away immediately.
My bike is very distinctive, only one like it in our district, now they see it coming and just get waved straight past them every time.   I can live with that.   

Flip465 wrote:

Which is exactly why I let Uyen do all the talking to officials at every level. 

Mind you, the card my friend and neighbour gave me, with the hand written note on the back, tends to get a hell of a lot of respect from the Cong An at every level. 
Only been stopped twice while riding. First time just kept saying " What ???" to everything they said. After about 20 minutes they gave up and told me to " Di - Di "
Second time, showed them my license, insurance, bike ownership papers, then that nice little card - got a load of salutes and waved away immediately.
My bike is very distinctive, only one like it in our district, now they see it coming and just get waved straight past them every time.   I can live with that.   

Mine is even more distinctive, they just give me the " VN blank look ", as I go past, never been pulled up, ( they usually call my wife, and get her to tell me off ).

Thanks for your great responses. I do like and respect the vietnamese way of dealing with all kind of things (in big parts at least). The more I read about it, the more I like it. I still prefer rural areas even if they are a bit more complicated. I rekkon if you hang in there and proove yourself and your good willing, you may be rewarded with the best neighbour you can gave after a while. And this is after all one of the very best things with people born and raised in communism. Once they accept you enough to consider you being a friend of them, they will stand for you no matter what and stick with you like shit yo a blanket in bad times. With all the tricks to earn a bit of a bonus... I can understand that, they just care about their families and in most cases they don't really hurt anybody with it.

hand written card which causes salutes? Tell me more about it! I wanna have one of those XD!!!

Where did you come from Dan, East Germany by any chance?
Asians are hell of a lot different than European Commies.
"" And this is after all one of the very best things with people born and raised in communism. Once they accept you enough to consider you being a friend of them, they will stand for you no matter what and stick with you like shit yo a blanket in bad times ",
this should be in the joke thread , oh that's right we don't have one now,
  You are, and will ALWAYS will be the Foreigner in VN, Asian's stick together like shit to anything.
BTW we are not allowed to talk about Communism , etc, and I always stick to the rules.

1) Three workers find themselves locked up, and they ask each other what theyre in for. The first man says: I was always ten minutes late to work, so I was accused of sabotage. The second man says: I was always ten minutes early to work, so I was accused of espionage. The third man says: I always got to work on time, so I was accused of having a Western watch.

2) An old man is dying in his hovel on the steppes. There is a menacing banging on the door. Whos there? the old man asks. Death comes the reply. Thank God for that, he says, I thought it was the KGB.

3)Pravda announced that it welcomed letters to the editor. All correspondents were required to include their full name, address and next of kin.

4) Q. Why do the KGB operate in groups of three? A. One can read, one can write and one to keep an eye on the two intellectuals.

5) Leonid Brezhnev pays a state visit to France and hes given a VIP guided tour of Paris. Hes conducted round the splendours of the Élysée Palace, but remains as stony-faced as ever. Hes shown the masterpieces of the Louvre, but the curators fail to get any reaction out of him. Hes taken to the Arc de Triomphe, but displays not the slightest interest. Eventually, the official motorcade drives him to the foot of the Eiffel Tower, where Brezhnev finally stares up in amazement and astonishment. He turns to his French hosts and asks in bewilderment: But, Paris is a city of 9 million people surely you need more than one watchtower?

6) Stalin decides to go out one day and see what its really like for the workers, so he puts on a disguise and sneaks out of the Kremlin.

After a while he wanders into a cinema. When the film has finished, the Soviet Anthem plays and a huge picture of Stalin appears on the screen. Everyone stands up and begins singing, except Stalin, who smugly remains seated.

A minute later a man behind him leans forwards and whispers in his ear: Listen Comrade, we all feel exactly the same way you do, but trust me, its a lot safer if you just stand up.

7) A man saves up his rubles and is finally able to buy a car in Soviet Russia. After he pays his money the he is told he will have his car in three years. Three years! he asks What month? August August? What day in August? He asks. The Second of August is the reply. Morning or Afternoon? Afternoon. Why do you need to know? The plumber is coming in the morning.

8) Why do ex-Stasi officers make the best Berlin taxi drivers? Because you only need to tell them your name and theyll already know where you live!

9) Moscow in the 1970s. Deepest winter. A rumour spreads through the city that meat will be available for sale the next day at Butchers Shop no. 1. Tens of thousands turn up on the eve of the event: wrapped up against the cold, carrying stools, vodka, and chessboards, they form an orderly queue.

At 3 am the butcher comes out and says, Comrades, Ive just had a call from the Party Central Committee: it turns out there wont be enough meat for everyone, so the Jews in the queue should go home. The Jews obediently leave the queue. The rest continue to wait.

At 7 am, the butcher comes out again: Comrades, Ive just had another call from Central Committee. It turns out there will be no meat at all, so you should all go home.

The crowd disperses, grumbling all the while: Those bloody Jews get all the luck!

10) A KGB officer is walking in the park and he sees and old Jewish man reading a book.

The KGB says What are you reading old man? The old man says I am trying to teach myself Hebrew.

KGB says Why are you trying to learn Hebrew? It takes years to get a visa for Israel. You would die before the paperwork got done.

I am learning Hebrew so that when I die and go to Heaven I will be able to speak to Abraham and Moses. Hebrew is the language they speak in Heaven. the old man replies.

But what if when you die you go to Hell? asks KGB.

And the old man replies, Russian, I already know.

THE NEWS

Thanks stumpy. Well the 10000$ was not the entire budget but the biggest part. I had loads of conversations with circumnavigators on big and small budgets. It is possible but more is ofcourse better. I allso don't really want to do the whole round... I was basically planning to get to boat to europe and cash up there, or even get it only half way across and cash up on the way for example in canada. I know I won't get around the save mooring or hardstandplace - issue but this has nothing to do with vietnam, no matter in which county. Which way did you go and where is your boat now?

cheers, Dan

editing mistake

editing mistake

"Ah thank you , finally someone with a " brain ", with his smart arse attitude I'm surprised anyone would want to help him after his last posts, must the his German superiority/arrogance coming out??? ( We might have a Sauer Kraut here?, Germany is far too close France"

With this kind of attitude you behave exactly like what you discribe as "German. You want to tell me about superiority and arrogance? Just have a look at your information-section you wrote on your profile. Posting this kind of jokes just proves this behaviour and your imature prejudices. And why the heck is it important where exactly I am born? Are you now trying to analyse my childhood and jump to conclusions as you did with my nationality? I prefer to pass on this one.... and so I will with any further conversations with you. So go ahead and finish your rediculous monologue.

We circumnavigated from Sydney to Falkland Islands around Cape Horn. Then to Rio de Janeiro ,Azores and Plymouth.
Returned via Potugal, Madeira, Capetown then back to Hobart.

@ fuzzzl:

hahahahaha - right said in your last post
LOL

HOLY SHEEESH! Living in boat? I dont know where to even start. best place is probably your embassy.

Oh, and old Russian joke is outdate. Heck, old USSR-era Vietnam joke is outdated