It is difficult to get safety gear in Vietnam, limited choices available and the shops that “advertise” safety gear rarely actually have it in stock. However, as large capacity motorbikes become more popular in Vietnam, the need for proper safety gear is quickly on the rise.
This article aims to talk about the safety gear that is accessible and possible to get hold of. Not the items that magically appear “for sale” one time, and one time only!
Helmets
A known problem among helmet manufacturers is the lack of education on the local market. Helmets are supposed to be tight fitting, not loose free flowing baseball caps.
The issue of fitting is such a problem that mainstream brands such as HJC have developed their own custom shell size for the Vietnamese market. This produces cheap helmets, but at the same time is stopping the import of safe helmets produced overseas.
Despite this, a few brands are making a steady inroad into Vietnamese helmet market.
LS2 Helmets - The company LS2 is known globally for cheap entry level helmets. They are almost unbeatable when it comes to value for money. Starting at around $60, these helmets have enough safety to pass ECE ratings whilst keeping the price rock bottom. They lack the bells and whistles of expensive helmets, but when it comes to value we are very lucky to have these helmets so readily accessible in Vietnam.
LS2 is also upping its game and they do now have some carbon models competing in the global mid price point of $300.
View Chrunix's collection of LS2 helmets
HJC Helmets - HJC have been lurking in the background of Vietnam for a long time. They have struggled to have an impact with their famous globally mid priced helmets. However they are now starting to roll out cheap Vietnamese manufactured helmets to compete with the dominating Andes and GRS brands.
HJC is a solid international helmet manufacturer, but despite having offices in Vietnam it is very difficult to get hold of their real gear.
Bell Helmets - Chrunix is proud to be the only shop in Vietnam with a solid supply of Bell helmets. Bell is a company that has always put safety first and is famous for very safe mid priced helmets. The Bell MX 9 adventure helmets remains to be the dominating choice of mid priced adventure helmets on the global market, and we have them right here in Vietnam!
When it comes to regularly supplied and stocked helmets in Vietnam, Bell and Chrunix are probably right up at the top of the “quality” line on the market. Mips technology passing both ECE and DOT ratings.
View Chrunix's collection of Bell helmets
Body armour, jackets, pants to knee pads
There are plenty of “one off” sales around from random Chinese manufacturing companies. A lot of this gear is great for the money, but it is not in regular and consistent supply. The choices of properly stocked items comes down to just two brands.
Scoyco Armour and kneepads - A bit like LS2, we are incredibly lucky to have Scoyco in Vietnam. Not a hugely internationally recognised brand, but fortunately Scoyco has proven to be both cheap, safe and long-lasting.
Products with both Ce and Ce2 certification. Chrunix has tried and tested the durability over 1000’s of miles and their safety gear does not fall apart.
In fact it can be found the entry-level gear of brands such as Leatt and Alpinestars is literally exactly the same as Scoyco. The difference between Scoyco rolls out at $60 and Leatt/Alpinestars at $100.
If you are going budget, look no further, we have the best budget gear already in Vietnam.
Komine Jackets and pants - Rolling in around the $100 mark, Komine is mostly accessible in Vietnam. Good quality for the money but they do lack breathability and comfort. Hard internal armour and a cheap exterior is not going to give a break from the blazing sun of Vietnam.
When looking for protection from sliding down the road, this is basically the only affordable option available to us.
Dainese Leathers - If budget is of no issue, and you have a 1000cc roadbike that really does need the gear to go with it. Look no further than Dainese, they have shops in the major cities providing full leather gear in the $1000 region. It is the only “real” gear available when it comes to riding a large capacity road motorbike in Vietnam.
Forcefield under armour and knee pads - If comfort and safety combined is important then Chrunix and Forcefield have you covered. Forcefield provides the armour technology that goes in most mainstream brands, they really are the best of the best when it comes to padding technology. Forefield gear just happens to be perfect for hot temperatures and this is why we chose this line of products. The pro shirt and pro tube being the best in the game at keeping the driver cool. This gear is If you want the best of the best, the stuff the pros use, and the stuff that will keep you cool on those hot days!
Boots
Getting hold of boots is hard in Vietnam. Limited sizing options and limited brands available. For a foreigner sized foot, the chances of finding a boot are basically zero. For a Vietnamese you will find something, but it will be cheap and uncomfortable.
Scoyco - Scoyco is the only regularly stocked boot brand on the market today. Even Scoyco boots can be hard to get hold of.
Entry level, cheap and uncomfortable with limited safety. A bit like a helmet, the boot is not an item to go budget on, and these boots are not really meeting safety ratings. Unfortunately until something better comes along, we are stuck with very cheap Scoyco options.
Gloves
Cheap throw away gloves are common on the international circuit. In many ways there is no need to get anything over $30. Find a glove that makes you happy and keep replacing it when it breaks. In Vietnam we have lots of cheap gloves available.
Scoyco - Scoyco gloves are competitively priced from $10 up to around $50. Perfectly acceptable and comfortable,
Pro Biker - For $5-10 we have pro biker gloves. Cheap gloves that will be thrown away within 1000km of use, however they do have a fingerless gloves that make navigating with your phone a breeze. For $5-10 it is hard to complain!
Komine gloves - Not as commonly found as Scoyco, but they are around. Komine tends to lend itself to bulky road gear. If driving at speeds down the road is your thing, then Komine is a good choice.
Conclusion
Safety gear is an emerging and growing market in Vietnam. Educate yourself as to the importance of getting safe gear. The different safety measures such as DOT, ECE, SNELL, CE, CE2 and MIPS (to name a few).
The knock off Chinese brands are often missing the mark on the safety regulations, resulting in you wearing hot and sweaty armour for nearly no reason.
The more interest locals show in protecting themselves, the more options stores such as Chrunix will be able to justifying stocking.
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