Driving in Vietnam: licences, road rules and Decree 168 fines for foreigners

A motorbike in Vietnam is freedom: reach a hidden beach, slip past a jam, ride the pass up to Da Lat. That freedom has a legal catch, though. The IDP most of us carry — the 1949 Geneva Convention one, issued in the US, Australia and Canada — is technically not valid here. Vietnam accepts the 1968 Vienna Convention version, and nothing else. Get that wrong and you are riding unlicensed in the eyes of the law, even with a permit in your pocket.

This guide covers the law side of two wheels: which licence actually works, how to get a Vietnamese one, the road rules that differ from home, the zero alcohol limit, the Decree 168 fines table, police stops and who carries the blame in a crash. What a bike costs, how to inspect one and what to leave as a deposit lives in the motorbike rental guide.

Information current as of July 2026. Fines are set in Vietnamese dong; USD figures use ~26,000 VND to $1.

How Vietnamese traffic actually works

Vietnam drives on the right, like most of Europe and the US. Handlebars on the left, overtake on the left. That is roughly where the familiarity ends, and the flow feels less like a rulebook and more like a fast-moving negotiation.

Speed limits

In practice, city traffic moves at 30–50 km/h and rural roads see bikes cruising at 50–70 km/h. Speed cameras are appearing but still rare — most fines are written by traffic police on the spot.

Lights and signs

Traffic lights work as you would expect: red stops, green goes. But there is one key twist — motorbikes may turn right on red where no sign forbids it, and you do not have to stop first.

Most lights have a countdown timer, so you can see how many seconds are left before the change. Handy once you get used to it.

Road signs follow the Vienna Convention, so the pictograms will be familiar to any Western driver. The text is in Vietnamese, but the symbols are standard.

The unwritten rules: horn, right of way, roundabouts

In Vietnam the horn is communication, not aggression. A short beep means "I'm here, don't pull across." When overtaking, you honk — otherwise the other rider simply won't see you. A long blast means "careful, danger."

Officially, unmarked junctions give way to the right. In reality, size rules: a bus beats a truck, a truck beats a motorbike, and a motorbike yields to everyone.

On roundabouts the theory is that traffic already on the circle has priority. In practice everyone enters at once. Move slowly and be ready for movement from every side.

What surprises Western riders most

The two that catch foreigners hardest are the amber light (fined like a red) and alcohol (an absolute zero limit). Both have their own sections below, because both are expensive to get wrong.

Is your driving licence valid in Vietnam?

Only a 1968 Vienna Convention IDP or a Vietnamese licence lets you ride legally. This is the single point that trips up most foreign riders, so it is worth being blunt about. There are two international driving permits in the world, and Vietnam accepts only one of them.

The 1968 vs 1949 IDP, in plain terms

Vietnam signed the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic and joined it in 2014. An IDP issued under that convention, with a motorcycle category, is valid — as long as you carry it together with your home licence. The older 1949 Geneva Convention permit is a different document, and it is not recognised for motorbikes in Vietnam. Same name, same booklet look, entirely different legal weight.

Two more things catch people out. First, the IDP never stands alone — carry it with your national licence, or it counts for nothing. Second, the category: a car licence does not cover a motorbike. You need a motorcycle category (A1 up to 125cc, A on bigger bikes), or no IDP will make you legal on two wheels.

💬 "To drive legally in Vietnam you must hold an IDP issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention. The 1949 Geneva Convention IDP — the common one in the USA, Canada and Australia — is not valid here." — Vietnam motorbike laws guide, azmotorbikes.com, 2026

Vietnamese licence categories

Decree 168 shifted the dividing line from 175cc down to 125cc, so a Honda Winner (150cc) or Yamaha Exciter (155cc) now sits in the higher bracket for both licence category and fines. Most rental scooters stay under 125cc, in the A1 band.

Getting a Vietnamese licence (the legal route for many nationalities)

If you hold a US, Australian or Canadian licence, a valid IDP is off the table, and this is your legal path. It is also the cleaner option for anyone staying more than a few months. Good news: for most licence holders there is no riding test.

Converting your home licence

With a residence card or a visa valid for at least three months, you can convert your national licence to a Vietnamese one at the provincial transport department (Sở GTVT). It is a conversion, not a test from scratch — no exam for a standard car or motorbike licence.

What you need:

1. A notarised Vietnamese translation of your national licence
2. A medical certificate from a Vietnamese clinic (around 200,000 VND, ~$8)
3. Your passport with the valid visa or residence card
4. The application form, submitted to the Sở GTVT

It runs about $50–100 and takes roughly 5–10 working days. The Vietnamese licence stays valid for as long as your visa or residence permit does. One catch worth knowing: your motorcycle category has to be on the home licence you present, or the conversion covers cars only.

Fines in 2026 under Decree 168

Decree 168/2024/ND-CP has been in force since 1 January 2025, and it raised motorbike fines by 50–80% across the board (baochinhphu.vn, 2025). In tourist zones like Nha Trang, Phu Quoc and Da Nang, police now issue official tickets that log to a national database. The two lines that hit foreigners hardest: riding without a valid permit, and the amber light.

Ride without a valid permit and the fine is only half of it — the bike is impounded for 7 days, with storage fees of 350,000–700,000 VND on top. If it is a rental, you keep owing the shop for the days it sits in the pound. Crash while unlicensed and you are treated as fully at fault by default, whatever the other rider did, and your insurer walks away.

Motorbike fines table

The amber light is the trap. Running an amber is fined exactly like a red — 4–6 million VND (~$160–240). Coming from a country where amber means "hurry through," that instinct is expensive here. When it changes, stop.

What changed on 1 January 2025, in short: fines up 50–80% on 2024, a 7-day impound for riding unlicensed (previously a fine only), a 7–30 day impound for drink-riding, more enforcement cameras, and official tickets instead of roadside deals.

The zero alcohol limit

Vietnam runs an absolute zero limit for alcohol on a bike. Not a low limit — zero. There is no legal "one drink" margin like the small blood-alcohol thresholds most Western countries allow. Any reading at all is an offence, and enforcement is aggressive: breath checks outside bars and restaurants are routine, especially in the evening.

The takeaway is simple. Do not have a drink and then ride, and do not ride the morning after a heavy night — one beer can still register hours later. If you have been drinking, use a Grab or a taxi. It is cheaper than any fine and far cheaper than a crash.

Police stops: what to expect

Checkpoints are routine, especially at the entrances and exits of cities and throughout tourist zones. Getting waved over is normal and usually quick. Have your papers ready and it is a two-minute stop.

What to have on you:

• Passport, or a clear copy
• Your valid licence — a 1968 IDP with your home licence, or a Vietnamese licence
• Blue Card (the bike registration; a rental shop provides it)
• The insurance slip

How to handle it: pull over, kill the engine, be polite, don't panic. Since 2025 police mostly write official tickets (biên lai) that log to the national database. If an officer hints at settling on the spot, politely asking for a receipt tends to end that conversation.

💬 "If you ride sober, wear a helmet and keep it civil, police generally leave you alone. Break even one of those and you'll be handed a serious fine." — r/VietnamTravel, Reddit, 2025

Helmets and the safety law

Helmets are compulsory for the rider and every passenger — no exceptions, including for the child on the seat in front of you. Riding without one, or with the strap undone, is 400,000–600,000 VND (~$16–24). It also voids your travel insurance if you are hurt.

The catch: the "helmet" a rental shop hands you is often a thin plastic cap that cracks like an eggshell in a real fall. Legally it ticks the box; practically it protects almost nothing. Buy your own — it is cheap here.

• Half-face (open) — 200,000–500,000 VND (~$8–20)
• Full-face (closed) — 500,000–1,500,000 VND (~$20–60)

A full-face helmet covers the jaw, the most common break in a bike spill. If you are riding more than a couple of days, it pays for itself the first time you don't need it.

The rest of staying alive on Vietnamese roads — reading the flow, wet-season riding, night rides, which hazards to watch — lives in the rental guide's safety section, so this article can stay on the law.

If you crash: what the law requires

The legal duties after a crash matter as much as the first aid. Leaving the scene is a criminal offence in Vietnam, and a police report is the document your insurer needs before it pays anything.

1. Stop and stay. Leaving the scene is a crime here, full stop.
2. Injuries first. Anyone hurt, call an ambulance: 115.
3. Make it safe, then call the police on 113 for a report — no report, no insurance claim.
4. Record everything: the scene, the damage, injuries, the other vehicles' plates.
5. Exchange details — name, phone, plate number.
6. Call your insurer, then the rental shop.
7. See a doctor even if you feel fine; adrenaline hides real injuries.
8. Keep the paperwork: police report, medical notes, receipts, photos.

Who is at fault

If the parties can't agree, the police decide, and their decision is final. Vietnam often applies a shared-fault principle, so even when the other rider is formally to blame you may be told to cover part of the damage.

Riding without a valid licence flips this entirely: you are treated as 100% at fault by default, whatever happened — even if someone drove into you. And a standard travel policy won't save you: most exclude motorbike injuries outright, and even a policy with the riding add-on is void without a valid licence and a helmet. A broken bone with no cover can run $1,000–3,000 out of pocket. This is the real reason the licence question at the top of this guide matters.

Emergency numbers

Emergency operators speak Vietnamese only. Ask nearby locals or hotel staff for help. If things get serious, contact your country's embassy or consulate — most keep a 24-hour line for citizens in trouble.

Where you can legally ride — and where checks are strict

The law is the same everywhere; how often you meet a checkpoint is not. Tourist hubs and city edges see the most stops, so this is where an invalid IDP catches people out fastest.

Ho Chi Minh City — heaviest enforcement, densest traffic

Around 10 million bikes and constant congestion. Police checks are frequent and cameras are spreading. Not the place to test whether your paperwork holds up. (More on the city: Ho Chi Minh City guide.)

Nha Trang, Da Nang, Phu Quoc — tourist zones, regular checks

Coastal roads that are easy to read, but checkpoints sit at the city entrances and exits and they do check permits. Phu Quoc and the Hà Giang Loop have become known for checking foreigners specifically. If your only IDP is the 1949 one, this is exactly where it goes wrong. (See the Nha Trang, Da Nang and Phu Quoc guides.)

Da Lat and mountain passes — checks plus real risk

The Khánh Lê pass (Nha Trang–Da Lat, QL27C) and the Hà Giang Loop are iconic rides, but checkpoints there check IDPs and no permit means a fine and impound. Add fog, switchbacks and slippery roads, and this is licence-and-experience territory, not a first ride. (See the Da Lat guide.)

FAQ

Is my driving licence valid in Vietnam?

Only a 1968 Vienna Convention IDP or a Vietnamese licence lets you ride legally. Vietnam recognises the IDP issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention, carried with your home licence. It does not recognise the 1949 Geneva permit — the type the US, Australia and Canada issue — so those IDPs are technically not valid here. A home licence on its own is never enough, whatever category it shows.

Does a US, UK, Australian or Canadian IDP work?

The US, Australia and Canada issue only the 1949 Geneva IDP, which is not valid in Vietnam. The UK issues both formats, so ask for the 1968 Vienna version by name. If your country only issues the 1949 permit, the clean legal route is a Vietnamese licence. Riding on a non-valid IDP is treated as riding unlicensed: a fine from 2,000,000 VND (~$80), a 7-day impound, and no insurance payout after a crash.

How do you get a Vietnamese licence as a foreigner?

With a residence card or a visa valid for 3+ months, you convert your home licence to a Vietnamese one — no riding test. You need a notarised Vietnamese translation of your licence and a medical certificate from a local clinic (~200,000 VND), submitted to the provincial transport department (Sở GTVT). Budget about $50–100 and 5–10 working days. Your motorcycle category has to be on the home licence you present.

What is the alcohol limit for riding?

Zero, with no legal margin. Any trace is an offence, and evening breath checks are routine. Fines start at 2,000,000 VND (~$80) and climb to 8,000,000–10,000,000 VND (~$320–400) with a licence ban of up to two years for higher readings. One beer the night before can still register in the morning — if you drink, take a Grab.

What is the fine for riding without a licence?

Under Decree 168/2024: 2,000,000–4,000,000 VND (~$80–160) up to 125cc, and 6,000,000–8,000,000 VND (~$240–320) over 125cc. On top of the fine the bike is impounded for 7 days, with storage fees. Police log tickets to a national database now, so an on-the-spot cash settlement no longer reliably makes it disappear.

Can you just buy a licence in Vietnam?

No — and it backfires. Agents sell fake permits, but since 2025 police check authenticity against a national database from a roadside tablet. A fake means a fine plus criminal liability for document forgery, and a guaranteed insurance refusal in any crash, where you are at fault by default. The only legal routes are a 1968 IDP from home or a converted Vietnamese licence.

Who is at fault if you crash without a valid licence?

You are, by default — treated as fully at fault whatever the other rider did. Vietnam otherwise applies shared fault, decided by the police, whose call is final. Never leave the scene (a criminal offence), call 115 for injuries and 113 for the report your insurer will demand, and photograph everything. With no cover and no licence, a fracture can cost $1,000–3,000 out of pocket.

Common mistakes

1. Assuming any IDP works. The 1949 Geneva permit from the US, Australia or Canada is not valid here. Check the format before you fly, or plan for a Vietnamese licence.
2. Carrying the IDP without the home licence. One is worthless without the other — police treat it as unlicensed.
3. Treating amber as "go." Running an amber is fined the same as a red, 4–6 million VND. When it changes, stop.
4. Drinking and riding. Zero limit, and one beer the night before can still fail a morning test.
5. Riding with a rental's flimsy helmet cap. It clears the law but not a real fall, and a hurt head with the wrong helmet complicates any insurance claim.
6. Buying a fake licence. Police scan authenticity roadside now; it means a fine plus a forgery charge.
7. Assuming "everyone does it" still holds. That was true until 2025. Decree 168 made the fines and the 7-day impound very real.

Data current as of July 2026. Fines follow Decree 168/2024/ND-CP (in force since 1 January 2025); see the government announcement. USD figures use ~26,000 VND = $1 (July 2026). We update this article if the law or the rate shifts.