Dịch
Do I Need a Licence? — Vietnam IDP Rules
Last updated: July 2026 · Written by HagiangTrips, a licensed Vietnamese international tour operator · Every figure below is checked against Vietnamese law and government sources — see the source list at the foot of the page.
To ride a motorbike legally in Vietnam you need two documents, carried together: your original national driving licence and an International Driving Permit issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention. If your permit came from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Japan, South Korea or Spain, it is not valid here — and there is no version you can buy that would be.
This page applies to every way of riding in Ha Giang — a self-ride tour, a bike you rent from us, a bike you rent from anyone else. The law does not care who you booked with. Read it, check your own documents against it, and decide for yourself.
We would rather lose a self-ride booking than have you find this out in a hospital.
1. What exactly do I need to ride legally?
Two documents. Both original. Both on you, every time you are on the bike.
Document 1 — your original national driving licence
- The physical card issued by your own country. A photo, a photocopy or a digital wallet is not accepted.
- It must be still valid — not expired.
- It must actually carry motorcycle entitlement. A car-only licence does not let you ride a motorbike, here or anywhere.
- You do not apply for anything. You already have it. Just pack it. This is the single most common failure — people bring the IDP and leave the licence at home.
Document 2 — an International Driving Permit (IDP), 1968 Vienna Convention
- A grey paper booklet — never a plastic card.
- Issued in your own country, before you travel, by the authority that issues your driving licence or a motoring club officially authorised by your government.
- Valid for a maximum of three years, and never beyond the expiry of your national licence.
- It is only a certified translation of your national licence. It grants you nothing on its own. Without the original licence beside it, it is void.
Vietnamese law, in one line. Article 57(6)(b), Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety 2024, recognises for a foreign driver: "an international driving permit and a national driving licence appropriate to the type of vehicle permitted to be driven, issued by a State party to the 1968 United Nations Convention on Road Traffic."
It says and. Not or.
2. Is my country's IDP valid in Vietnam?
Only if your country is a contracting party to the 1968 Vienna Convention. There are 91 of them. Vietnam recognises nothing else.
The 10-second check
Open your IDP and read the front cover. It names the convention it was issued under. Both booklets are grey and the same size — the cover text and the validity period are the only reliable tells.
| Your IDP cover says | Valid in Vietnam? | Validity |
|---|---|---|
| Vienna, 8 November 1968 | YES | up to 3 years |
| Geneva, 19 September 1949 | NO | 1 year — a useful tell |
| Paris, 1926 | NO | 1 year |
Accepted — the markets our guests come from
United Kingdom · France · Germany · Italy · Netherlands · Belgium · Switzerland · Luxembourg · Liechtenstein · Monaco · Sweden · Norway · Finland · Poland · Czech Republic · Slovakia · Hungary · Romania · Bulgaria · Croatia · Slovenia · Serbia · Montenegro · Albania · North Macedonia · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Portugal · Estonia · Latvia · Lithuania · Israel · Russia · Ukraine · Belarus · Georgia · Armenia · Azerbaijan · Kazakhstan · Uzbekistan · Moldova · Brazil · Peru · Uruguay · Cuba · South Africa · Morocco · Tunisia · Egypt · Philippines · Thailand · Myanmar · Pakistan · Iran · Saudi Arabia · UAE · Qatar · Kuwait · Bahrain · Oman · Mongolia
NOT accepted — no IDP from these countries works in Vietnam
United States · Canada · Australia · New Zealand · Ireland · Japan · South Korea · China · Hong Kong · Taiwan · Singapore · Malaysia · Indonesia · India · Spain · Mexico · Chile · Argentina · Iceland
None are parties to the 1968 Convention. Spain, South Korea, Indonesia, Mexico and Chile signed it decades ago but never ratified it — signing is not joining. This catches out a lot of Spanish and Korean riders.
If your licence is from one of these countries, there is no permit you can obtain, anywhere, at any price, that makes you legal to ride in Vietnam. Not a paid one, not an "international" one, not one bought online. Go to section 7.
Your own government says the same:
- US Embassy, Hanoi: "Foreign driver licenses, even when accompanied by an international driving permit, are not valid in Vietnam."
- Australian Smartraveller: "You're not allowed to drive or ride on an Australian licence or International Driving Permit (IDP) issued in Australia."
- UK FCDO: "You'll need to have both the 1968 version of the international driving permit and your UK driving licence with you whilst driving a car or motorbike in Vietnam."
Türkiye — a trap. Türkiye is a party to the 1968 Convention, but its only authorised issuer, the TTOK, hands out 1949 Geneva permits — and TTOK's own website states in plain Turkish that its permit is not accepted in Vietnam. Turkish riders should treat themselves as being on the red list.
Austria, Denmark, Greece — verify before you rely on it. All three are parties, but we could not confirm from any official source that a 1968-model permit is actually obtainable there, and the Austrian and Danish authorities advertise a one-year permit — the hallmark of the 1949 model. Ring your motoring authority and ask, in these words: "Do you issue the international driving permit under the Vienna Convention of 1968?"
3. How do I get a valid IDP?
In your own country, before you fly. No country issues an IDP to a visitor, and you cannot obtain one inside Vietnam. If you are already here without one, that door is closed — see section 7.
If you want to ride yourself, start this at least a month before you fly. It is cheap, it is quick, and it is the difference between a holiday and a very bad year. Four steps:
| Step | What to do | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check your national licence. Is it still valid? Does it actually carry motorcycle entitlement — not just cars? If it does not, an IDP cannot invent one for you: the IDP only translates what you already hold. | Now |
| 2 | Find your issuing body in the table below, and apply for the 1968 Vienna Convention permit. Several countries issue more than one type — you must ask for the 1968 one by name. | 4+ weeks before you fly |
| 3 | When it arrives, open it and check three things: the cover says Vienna 1968; the category A or A1 is stamped and not crossed out; the expiry date is after your trip. | The day it arrives |
| 4 | Pack both. The IDP booklet and the original plastic card of your national licence. Then read your travel insurance policy's motorbike clause — engine-size cap and touring exclusion (section 6). | Packing day |
If any of that does not work out — the permit is the wrong type, the category is missing, the timing is too tight — that is fine. Tell us, and we will put you on the back of an Easy Rider or into a car instead. Nothing about your trip has to change except who is holding the handlebars.
| Country | Where to go | Cost | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | PayPoint stores, in person | £5.50 | Not the Post Office any more — it stopped on 1 April 2024. The UK issues three types: ask for the 1968 permit. |
| France | ANTS — online only | €7.25 | No longer free. Allow ~15 days; apply a month before you fly. |
| Germany | Bürgeramt | ≈ €15 | Usually same day. |
| Netherlands | ANWB shop | €24,95 | Ask for "Model 1968". The €18,95 booklet is the 1949 one and both are grey. Check what you were charged. |
| Italy | Motorizzazione Civile / ACI | ≈ €42 | Italy issues both. Write "Convenzione di Vienna 1968" on the form — there is no tick-box. |
| Belgium | Your commune | ≈ €30 | 4–7 working days. |
| Switzerland | Cantonal Strassenverkehrsamt | varies | Only the 1968 model is issued. Usually over the counter. |
| Sweden | M Sverige | 250–400 SEK | State Vietnam as your destination. |
| Norway | NAF | NOK 240–320 | Choose the destination country when applying. |
| Finland | Autoliitto | €47 | The €47 booklet is the 1968 one; €37 is the 1949. |
| Poland | Starostwo powiatowe | 35 zł | Tick the 1968 model on the form. |
| Czech Republic | Obecní úřad | 200 Kč | Issued immediately. |
| Portugal | IMT or ACP | ≈ €30 | Ask explicitly for the 1968 permit. |
| Israel | Ministry of Transport agents | ≈ NIS 11 | Only the 1968 model. Printed on the spot. |
| Thailand | Department of Land Transport | 505 THB | Choose the 1968 permit by destination. |
| Philippines | AAP | ≈ PHP 4,200 | The Vienna model is the default. |
| Brazil | State DETRAN | ≈ R$138 | Only the 1968 model. 10–14 business days. |
Do not buy an IDP online. It is worthless here.
Dozens of websites sell an "International Driving Permit" or "International Driver's Licence" for $30–$150, delivered as a PDF in minutes, "valid 5, 10 or 20 years", "UN-approved in 195 countries". All of that is false. A genuine permit runs three years at most, and the UN accredits no one.
Ho Chi Minh City Police published a notice on exactly this:
"Under Vietnamese law, only the IDP issued by States Parties to the Vienna Convention in the single uniform format has validity within Vietnamese territory; other types of international driving permit, including the IAA international driving permit, have no validity within Vietnamese territory."
The Traffic Police added that riders caught with one "have been issued administrative-violation records for the offence of not having a driving licence." Not "invalid licence" — no licence at all, top-tier fine, bike impounded.
How to spot a fake in five seconds: it is a plastic card · it claims 5, 10 or 20 years or "lifetime" · you bought it online from a website in another country · it arrived as a PDF · it cost $40–$150 (a real one is £5.50 in the UK, €7.25 in France) · it says "UN-approved" · it calls itself a "Licence" or "Document" rather than a "Permit".
4. Which category do I need for which bike?
Your IDP lists the categories you hold. The one you need depends entirely on the engine size of the bike you sit on:
| Engine size | Vietnamese class | Your IDP must show | Typical bikes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 125 cm³ (or electric ≤ 11 kW) | A1 | A1 or A | Honda Wave, Blade, Vision, Air Blade — and the standard 125cc self-ride tour bike |
| Over 125 cm³ (or > 11 kW) | A | A only A1 is not enough | Honda XR150L (149cc), CRF150, CB150, Winner X — and every dirt bike / rental bike of 150cc and up |
| Under 50 cm³ (or electric ≤ 4 kW, max 50 km/h) | none | No licence required | Mopeds. Useless on the Ha Giang passes — do not plan around this. |
| Car licence only (B) | — | No motorbike at all | A B category permits zero motorbikes in Vietnam — not even a scooter. |
The 125 cm³ line is where almost everyone gets caught. A 125cc bike and a 150cc bike look identical to a tourist and cost about the same to hire. But one needs A1 and the other needs A, and the difference in the fine is 2–4 million VND versus 6–8 million VND, plus the bike impounded either way. Check the engine size before you get on. Ask. Look at the sticker.
5. Am I eligible? Check yourself
Every row must be true. One "no" anywhere and you are riding illegally.
| # | Condition | How to verify it in 10 seconds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | My licence was issued by a 1968 Vienna Convention country | Check the green list in section 2. Not there? Stop — go to section 7. |
| 2 | I hold a genuine 1968 IDP, still valid | Read the front cover: it must say Vienna 1968. Not Geneva 1949. |
| 3 | My IDP shows the right motorcycle category | A1 for a bike up to 125cc. A for anything over 125cc. Category B does not count. |
| 4 | I am carrying my original national licence | The physical card. In your pocket. Right now. Not a photo. |
| 5 | My travel insurance actually covers this bike and this trip | Read the motorbike clause — engine-size cap, "touring" exclusion, pillion cover. See section 6. |
| 6 | I will wear a helmet, chinstrap fastened | Compulsory by law for rider and passenger. No exceptions. |
6. What happens if I ride without a valid licence?
It escalates fast, and the fine is the smallest part of it.
The fine, and the bike
Decree 168/2024/ND-CP, Article 18, in force since 1 January 2025:
| Situation | Fine | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| No valid licence — bike up to 125 cm³ (Art. 18(5)(a)) | 2 – 4 million VND | $80 – $160 |
| No valid licence — bike over 125 cm³ (Art. 18(7)(b)) | 6 – 8 million VND | $240 – $320 |
| Wrong class — e.g. A1 on a 150 cm³ bike (Art. 18(7)) | 6 – 8 million VND | $240 – $320 |
| Valid IDP but national licence not carried, bike over 125 cm³ (Art. 18(7)(c)) | 6 – 8 million VND | $240 – $320 |
| No helmet — rider and passenger fined separately (Art. 7(2), Art. 12(5)) | 400 – 600k VND each | $16 – $24 each |
The bike is impounded for up to seven working days (Article 48). On a four-day loop, that is the end of your holiday — and you will not be riding away from it.
Fines are identical for foreigners and Vietnamese. You will not be deported for a traffic fine.
Your travel insurance — this is the expensive part
World Nomads (UK) requires a valid motorbike licence "in both the UK and the local country for the type of bike you'll be operating."
World Nomads (Australia): you must "hold a licence valid for the country you're riding in", with no cover "if you're not complying with local laws."
Allianz (Australia): you need "a licence valid for the country you're riding in, if your Australian licence is not recognised in that country."
Cover-More and True Traveller reach the same place differently — Cover-More excludes "claims arising from any unlawful act committed by You", True Traveller excludes "failure to comply with the laws applicable to the country in which you are travelling." Riding unlicensed in Vietnam is unlawful in Vietnam. The claim fails either way.
Note what those clauses hang on: your licence status, not who caused the crash. A truck can run into you, entirely its fault, and you can still be uninsured.
And a second trap that catches even fully legal riders.
World Nomads UK excludes bikes over 125cc and excludes riding where the motorbike is used "for touring, or as the main mode of transportation on your holiday." True Traveller excludes "motorbike touring." Staysure caps cover at 125cc — for passengers as well as riders.
A four-day loop on a 150cc bike is, on any reading, touring on a bike over 125cc. A licensed, helmeted, IDP-carrying rider can still be completely uninsured on this trip. Check your policy's engine limit and its touring clause before you book anything, with anyone.
Passengers, this includes you. Cover-More, Staysure, Southern Cross and Seven Corners all require you to have bought motorbike cover even to ride pillion. Cover-More says it plainly: "If you don't have it, you won't be covered if something happens while you're riding as a passenger."
The compulsory insurance on the bike will not save you either
Every motorbike in Vietnam carries compulsory third-party liability cover. Decree 67/2023/ND-CP, Article 7(2)(c) excludes it where "the driver has no driving licence, or uses an invalid driving licence … or uses a driving licence that is not appropriate for the motor vehicle."
So if you injure someone while unlicensed — or merely on the wrong class — the insurer pays nothing, and the victim's family comes to you personally.
And if someone is killed, it stops being about money
Article 260, Penal Code. Causing a fatal road accident normally carries a fine, non-custodial reform, or 1 to 5 years' imprisonment. But Article 260(2)(a) lifts it to 3 to 10 years where the driver "has no driving licence as prescribed."
The absence of a valid licence, on its own, roughly doubles the sentence. Foreign nationals are prosecuted exactly like Vietnamese citizens.
You may also not be allowed to leave. Under Article 28(1)(a) of the Law on Entry and Exit of Foreigners, a foreigner can be barred from leaving Vietnam while they are a party with related obligations in a criminal or civil case. You need not be charged — being liable for compensation is enough. The suspension can run up to three years, and can be extended. The UK FCDO puts it plainly: "Foreign nationals involved in traffic accidents have been stopped from leaving Vietnam until the police have completed their investigations."
Why any responsible operator will ask to see your documents. Under Article 264 of the Penal Code, the person who hands a vehicle to someone they know is not licensed can themselves be prosecuted if that vehicle is in a fatal accident — even when the unlicensed rider was not at fault. In March 2024 a Da Nang rental-shop owner was convicted under this article after renting a bike to a foreign visitor whose foreign licence was not valid in Vietnam. The visitor obeyed every rule and was killed by another driver running a red light. The owner was still convicted, because he had not checked whether the licence was valid here.
So when we ask for your permit and your original licence, we are not doubting you. We are both standing on the same side of the same law. An operator who does not check is not doing you a favour.
7. What if I cannot ride legally?
Then do not ride. You lose almost nothing.
- Easy Rider. You sit behind a professional local driver holding a full Vietnamese licence. No licence, no IDP, no paperwork of any kind — entirely legal, and your travel insurance stays intact because you are a passenger, not a driver. Honestly, it is also the better way to see Ha Giang: you watch the Nho Que river and the Ma Pi Leng cliffs instead of the potholes, and you can photograph the whole way.
- Private car, jeep or SUV. Comfort, air conditioning, good for families. No licence needed either.
One thing to do even as a passenger: check that your travel insurance includes motorbike cover as a pillion. Several insurers require you to add it, even though you are not driving. It usually costs very little.
8. Our commitment
We are a licensed Vietnamese international tour operator, and we would rather be straight with you than take your money and hope nothing happens.
- We will ask to see your original IDP and your original national licence before we hand over a motorbike — on a tour or a rental, no exceptions, no matter who you booked through.
- If the documents do not check out, we will not put you on that bike. Not because we want to be difficult, but because an accident would land on you, on your family, and on us — and by then nobody can fix it.
- We will not cancel your trip either. We move you onto an Easy Rider or into a car at the corresponding price, quietly, and you still see everything. You lose the handlebars. You lose nothing else.
- Helmets are compulsory in Vietnam for rider and passenger. We provide them free.
- Tell us your nationality and licence class when you enquire — before you pay us anything — and we will tell you within minutes exactly where you stand.
An operator who hands you a bike without looking at your papers is not being relaxed. They are transferring a risk onto you that you may not know you are carrying.
Not sure where you stand?
Send us a photo of your licence and your IDP on WhatsApp. We will give you a straight answer in minutes — free, no obligation, even when the honest answer costs us the booking.
Frequently asked questions
The eight sections above answer this in full. These are the questions people still send us. Tap any question to open it.
No. The United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan are not contracting parties to the 1968 Vienna Convention, so the IDPs they issue are 1949 Geneva Convention permits, which Vietnamese law does not recognise. The US Embassy in Hanoi states that foreign driver licenses, even when accompanied by an international driving permit, are not valid in Vietnam, and Australia's Smartraveller states that Australians may not ride on an Australian IDP. There is no IDP available in these countries that would make you legal to ride in Vietnam.
No. Spain and South Korea signed the 1968 Vienna Convention but never ratified it, so they are not contracting parties. Their IDPs are issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention and are not recognised in Vietnam. Signing a treaty is not the same as joining it.
Category A. Any bike over 125cc, including the 149cc Honda XR150L, the CRF150, the CB150, the Winner X and every dirt bike, falls into Vietnamese class A. An International Driving Permit showing only A1 is not sufficient, and riding a 150cc bike on an A1 permit is a fine of 6 to 8 million VND, the bike is impounded, and your travel insurance is void.
Not always. World Nomads UK excludes motorbikes over 125cc and excludes using a motorbike for touring or as your main mode of transport. True Traveller excludes motorbike touring. Staysure caps cover at 125cc, for passengers as well as riders. Because a multi-day loop on a 150cc bike is touring on a bike over 125cc, riders on these policies can be uninsured despite holding a perfectly valid licence. Check your policy's engine limit and touring clause before booking.
No. Ho Chi Minh City Police have stated that only IDPs issued by States Parties to the Vienna Convention in the standard uniform format have validity in Vietnam, and that other permits, including the IAA permit sold online, have no validity. Riders caught with one are recorded as having no driving licence at all. The US Federal Trade Commission states that no document issued by any organisation other than a government agency or a government-designated body meets the requirements of the treaties. A genuine IDP is a paper booklet, issued in your own country, valid for a maximum of three years.
No. As a pillion passenger behind a professional driver holding a full Vietnamese licence, you need no licence, no IDP and no paperwork at all, and the trip is entirely legal. However, several insurers including Cover-More, Staysure, Southern Cross and Seven Corners require you to have purchased motorbike cover even to travel as a passenger, so check that your policy includes it.
Realistically, no. Since 1 July 2026 a foreigner may apply to convert a foreign licence if they hold a visa or residence card with at least 90 days remaining. A 30-day e-visa or a 45-day visa exemption does not qualify, and those are what most visitors travel on. Even where an application is accepted, the Vietnamese licence expires with the visa. The correct route is to obtain a 1968 Vienna Convention IDP in your own country before you travel.
Yes, for the rider and every passenger, with the chinstrap properly fastened. The fine is 400,000 to 600,000 VND, and the rider and the passenger are fined separately. The only exemptions are for emergency medical transport and children under six.
Sources. Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety 2024 (36/2024/QH15), Articles 33, 34, 56, 57, 59 · Decree 168/2024/ND-CP, Articles 7, 12, 18, 32, 48 · Circular 108/2026/TT-BCA (in force 1 July 2026) · Penal Code 2015 as amended, Articles 260 and 264 · Decree 67/2023/ND-CP on compulsory motor third-party liability insurance, Articles 6 and 7 · Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners 2014, Article 28 · Resolution 02/2022/NQ-HDTP of the Supreme People's Court, Article 12 · UN Treaty Collection, Convention on Road Traffic (Vienna, 1968), status of parties · GOV.UK, International Driving Permit · UK FCDO, Vietnam travel advice · US Embassy Hanoi, Driving in Vietnam · Australian Smartraveller, Vietnam · Ho Chi Minh City Police (PC08), notice on the IAA international driving permit · US Federal Trade Commission, warning on fake IDPs · policy wordings of World Nomads (UK and AU), Allianz Australia, Cover-More, True Traveller, Staysure, Southern Cross and Seven Corners.
This guide is provided in good faith to inform our guests and reflects Vietnamese law as at July 2026. It is not legal advice, and laws and penalties change. Verify your own licence status with the authority that issued it. If you spot anything out of date, please tell us and we will correct it.
