Mobihome car is about to be recognized

Compact living space on the car

In the past 5 years, the need to convert cars into mobile homes (mobihome) for long-distance car trips and camping has become increasingly popular. On social networks, many groups have appeared such as: Mobihome Vietnam, Mobihome & Camping Car Association Vietnam... becoming places to share experiences in designing, renovating, even renting, buying and selling this type of vehicle.

The camping site of Mr. Doan Kieu Dung's family during their 42-day motorhome journey.

Returning from a 42-day cross-country trip in a mobile home, Mr. Doan Kieu Dung (residing in Hoang Mai, Hanoi ) recounted his longest trip in a motorhome that he designed, installed and equipped himself, named T-Love: "The current road infrastructure is good enough for this type of vehicle."

On the 19-seat GAZ imported from Russia, the living facilities including sleeping space for 4 people, blankets, pillows, mattresses, toilets, kitchen and sink, pots, pans, dishes, food and a foldable dining table... are scientifically arranged to the millimeter.

The car has a folding canvas roof to protect against the sun and rain, and a set of folding tables and chairs for outdoor seating. The car also has to carry an 11kW battery pack for lighting, running the fan, refrigerator, and air conditioning. The amount of fresh water with a capacity of about 500 liters for bathing and flushing the toilet is cleverly arranged in the tanks.

"All the amenities of daily living space are compacted into a 16-seat vehicle with a floor area of ​​about 8 square meters. When participating in traffic, it is like a normal vehicle, but when stopping, it turns into a fully equipped house," said Mr. Dung.

Cost billions of dong

A memorable memory of Mr. Dung's trip was when he got stuck in quicksand and couldn't get out by himself, so he had to call for help. According to him, it was a valuable experience when camping on the beach, forcing him to survey the parking area and the entrance to see if there was a risk of wheel quicksand.

The bed is arranged on the T-Love motorhome of Mr. Doan Kieu Dung.

Waste from the vehicle and household waste must be collected and disposed of properly. During the past 42-day journey, Mr. Dung often stopped at gas stations to fill up with fresh water, and to dump household waste and toilet waste.

Mr. Dung said that currently in Vietnam there are more than 100 motorhomes operating, mainly built on the platform of two car models: the Russian GAZ (19-seat type) and the Hyundai Solati (16-seat type). The Ford Transit line is rarely used as a motorhome due to its height and limited space.

The cost to transform a 16-19 seat minibus into a motorhome ranges from 1.5 to 1.7 billion VND, including the price of the vehicle of 1 billion VND. The cost of completing the interior of the motorhome alone ranges from 500 to 700 million VND, depending on the equipment and materials used for the interior.

The motorhome community currently has thousands of people, including architects, doctors, and many artists.

Mr. Dung is currently a businessman, chairman of a media corporation, but still enjoys traveling everywhere with his wife and children. He said that in the motorhome community, many people still work normally on their trips, because the car can meet the needs of working on the car well.

"Untie" the motorhome

According to Mr. Bui Tuan Khanh (Duong Kinh District, Hai Phong), the owner of a homemade motorhome from a 12-seat Toyota Hiace, his car has only dared to travel a distance of 20km, from his house to Do Son District to camp and return. The reason is that players of this type of vehicle are still nervous every time they go out on the road, because there are no clear regulations on this type of vehicle so it cannot be registered.

The motorhome community currently has more than 100 vehicles operating across the country, many of whom live and work in their vehicles.

"I am very happy that the new draft regulation has a clear definition. Even allowing the import of used, refurbished motorhomes (according to Decree 66/2024) will pave the way for this type of vehicle to enter Vietnam properly," said Mr. Khanh.

Mr. Doan Kieu Dung commented that having standards for motorhomes means that this type of vehicle is officially recognized, and he can drive a motorhome through ASEAN countries with valid vehicle registration and an international driving license. The official recognition of the vehicle will promote the development of mobile home tourism.

In terms of business, motorhome modification workshops as well as accessory and equipment sellers will develop, helping players easily access the latest equipment.

Commenting on the upcoming regulations, Mr. Doan Kieu Dung said that there are some points that need to be updated in the regulations to complete them. Firstly, regarding the inspection cycle, applied according to the year of use, for imported used cars (manufactured from 2015 onwards), a 1-year inspection cycle should be applied.

The second is about road maintenance fees, which should be applied as for cars with the same number of seats (for motorhomes, it is the number of sleeping seats). The third is about driving licenses, motorhome drivers should use the current B2 license, because the number of seats of this type of vehicle after conversion is less than 9 seats, usually only 2 seats are set up in the cabin and 4 seats in the back compartment.

In the draft new regulation (amended to QCVN 09:2024/BGTVT), the management agency has clearly defined: Recreational Vehicle; Motor Caravans; Motorhome or Mobilehome is a specialized passenger car designed with a living compartment with minimum equipment: Sleeping space (can be converted from seats), cooking equipment, tables, chairs, storage or other cabinets.

The draft clearly states the necessary safety conditions and equipment, as well as the minimum standards to ensure good living conditions on the vehicle, such as the minimum size of the bed, doors, the electrical system must be separate from the vehicle's electrical system, equipped with fuses, cooking equipment must be fixed... and many other regulations.

Source: https://xe.baogiaothong.vn/dan-choi-nha-di-dong-sap-duoc-thua-nhan-192240829160233822.htm