I’ve taken a minor gamble and bought an old ‘dunger’ bike.
The very same that I’ve been renting at 1m VND ( ~= USD $46 ) per month.
The logic goes like this – I’m here for 4 more months ( at least ). Cost of renting:4m VND. Cost of purchase : 3.3m VND. Conservative sale price: 2.5m VND.
The downside, of course, is that I have the mechanical aptitude of a … donkey. On the other hand, I’m reliably told that Vietnamese mechanics sprout like weeds. Not only that, they’re as robust ( capable ) and cheap.
I’ve been dealing with the bike shop I bought it from since arriving in Nha Trang. It’s about 2 minutes ride away. The owner is happy to introduce me to her pet mechanic, for if and when he’s needed.
So, no more monthly stress about transport.
I’ll enlist a backup in case the bike claps out when I’m scrambling to get to work. This is Grab, the local equivalent to Uber.
And fingers crossed that the old workhorse continues to take a flogging.