Riding Rules & Licenses
Can 3 People Ride One Motorbike in Vietnam? The Law, the Fines and Safer Family Options in Hoi An
Can 3 People Ride One Motorbike in Vietnam? The Law, the Fines and Safer Family Options in Hoi An
Can 3 people ride one motorbike in Vietnam? Legally, only when the third rider is a child under 12. Here is what changed in 2025, what the fines are, and how families actually get around Hoi An.
Stand on any corner of Phan Chau Trinh at school pick-up time and you will see it: a mother on a scooter, one child in front, one behind, sometimes a shopping bag hooked on the footboard too. It looks normal because in Vietnam it is normal. So the question we hear at the shop, usually from parents holding a four-year-old, is a fair one: if locals do it, can we?
The honest answer has two parts. The law allows more than most visitors expect, and much less than the street suggests. And the thing that decides whether it is a good idea is not the law at all, but how many hours you have spent riding a loaded scooter in Asian traffic. This guide covers both, with the exact rule, the current fines, and the options we actually hand to families at 84 Phan Chau Trinh.
- The short answer, case by case
- What the 2024 traffic law actually says
- Fines for carrying too many people
- Helmets for children: the under-6 rule
- Why it is harder than it looks
- If you do ride with a child: where they sit
- Licence and insurance: the bigger problem
- Safer ways for a family to get around
- Old Town hours and family routes
- FAQ
Can 3 people ride one motorbike? The short answer, case by case
Vietnamese law sets one passenger as the default for every motorbike and moped. A second passenger is allowed only in four named situations, and for a travelling family only one of them matters: the extra person is a child under 12. So when people ask whether 3 people can ride one motorbike, the real question is who the three people are.
| Who is on the bike | Legal? | What we would say |
|---|---|---|
| Rider + 1 adult | Yes | The normal setup. Both wear helmets. |
| Rider + 1 adult + child under 12 | Yes | Legal, but only for an experienced rider on short, slow town trips. |
| Rider + 2 children under 12 | Yes | Legal. Still a lot of weight and wriggling behind one inexperienced rider. |
| Rider + adult + child aged 12 or over | No | Fined as carrying two passengers. A 12-year-old counts as an adult here. |
| Rider + 2 adults | No | Fined, and the easiest stop a police officer will ever make. |
| Four people, any ages | No | Three passengers or more is a separate, higher fine plus licence points. |
The other three exceptions (taking a sick person to emergency care, escorting someone who has broken the law, and carrying an elderly, frail or disabled person) exist for locals in real emergencies. They are not a loophole for a holiday ride to the beach.
What the 2024 traffic law actually says
The rule sits in Article 33 of the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety (Law 36/2024/QH15), which took effect on 1 January 2025 and replaced the 2008 Road Traffic Law. It says the driver of a two-wheeled motorbike or moped may carry one person, and at most two only when carrying a patient to emergency care, escorting a person who has broken the law, carrying a child under 12, or carrying an elderly, frail or disabled person.
That age limit is the detail almost every English-language article still gets wrong. Under the old law the cut-off was 14. Since January 2025 it is 12. A family with a 13-year-old who read a guide written in 2023 would now be breaking the rule without knowing it. VnExpress covered the change when it came in: four cases where three on a motorbike is allowed from 1 January 2025.
The law counts heads and birthdays. It says nothing about whether the rider has ever carried a sleeping four-year-old through a roundabout.
Two things the law does not say, because people often assume it does. It does not ban a child from sitting in front of the rider, and it does not require a child seat on a motorbike. Both are left to the rider’s judgement, which is exactly why the next sections matter.
Fines for carrying too many people
If 3 people ride one motorbike outside the four exceptions, the penalties are set by Decree 168/2024/ND-CP, in force alongside the new law since 1 January 2025. They are noticeably higher than the old Decree 100 figures you still see quoted online.
| Violation (motorbike or moped) | Fine | Licence points |
|---|---|---|
| Carrying 2 passengers outside the four exceptions | 400.000–600.000₫ (~$15–23) | none |
| Carrying 3 or more passengers | 600.000–800.000₫ (~$23–30) | −2 points |
| Either of the above and it causes a crash | 10.000.000–14.000.000₫ | −10 points |
| Rider or passenger without a helmet, or strap not fastened | 400.000–600.000₫ | none |
The Vietnamese government’s policy portal has the full list of motorbike penalties under the decree: motorbike fines from 1 January 2025. Our own round-up of Vietnam motorbike licence fines in 2026 puts these next to the licence penalties, which for a tourist are the bigger number.
A few hundred thousand dong for an extra passenger is annoying. Ten to fourteen million dong, on top of hospital bills and a travel insurer asking how many people were on the bike, is a different holiday. The fine grows exactly when the risk turns into an accident.
If you are stopped, stay calm and friendly; our guide to a police stop in Hoi An walks through what happens and which documents to show.
Helmets for children: the under-6 rule
Everyone on a motorbike in Vietnam must wear a properly fastened helmet, and the fine lands on the rider, not the passenger. The one exception that surprises parents: the rider is not fined for carrying a child under 6 without a helmet. The exemption is about what gets fined, not about what is safe: a small head needs protection just as much.
Our advice is simple. If a child is big enough to sit on a motorbike, they are big enough for a helmet that fits. An adult helmet on a five-year-old slides over the eyes and does almost nothing in a fall. Ask for a kids’ helmet when you book; we keep small sizes at the shop, and every rental already comes with two adult helmets, as explained in our note on what a Hoi An scooter rental includes.
Why having 3 people ride one motorbike is harder than it looks
Locals make it look effortless because most of them learned to ride at fifteen, on the same streets, with a sibling on the back. A visitor who last rode a scooter on a beach holiday three years ago is starting from a very different place. Here is what actually changes when a third person climbs on.
- Weight and braking. A 110–125cc automatic like the ones most tourists rent is built for two adults. Add a child and the bike takes longer to stop, and the rear wheel locks sooner if you grab the brake. On the sandy edges of the road to An Bang or Cua Dai, that is how most low-speed falls happen.
- Balance at walking pace. The hardest moments are not at 40 km/h but at 3 km/h: pulling away from a junction, turning into a narrow lane, stopping at the Old Town barriers. A child who leans or wriggles at that moment moves the whole bike.
- Your attention. A child talks, points, drops a shoe, falls asleep. On a quiet country lane that is charming. In the scooter swarm on Hai Ba Trung at 17:30 it is one more thing competing with the traffic for your eyes.
- No restraint. There is no seatbelt and no child seat on a scooter. A sleeping child’s grip is the only thing keeping them on the bike.
- Rain season. From September to December the painted lines, iron drain covers and Old Town paving turn slippery. Two-up is manageable; three-up on wet stone is a real test even for locals.
None of this makes three on a bike reckless for everyone. It makes it a skill, and a skill is not something to learn on the first morning of a family holiday. If you are unsure how the traffic here feels, read our honest take on whether it is safe to ride a motorbike in Hoi An before you decide.
If you do ride with a child: where they sit
If you are an experienced rider and decide the short hop from your homestay to dinner is fine with a child aboard, positioning matters more than anything else.
| Position | Our view |
|---|---|
| Sandwiched between rider and adult passenger | The most stable option for a small child. Held on both sides, low centre of gravity, cannot slip off sideways. The adult behind should hold the child, not the grab rail. |
| Behind the rider, no second adult | Fine for a school-age child who can hold on and keep their feet on the footpegs. Too risky for a child who may fall asleep. |
| Standing or sitting in front of the rider | Common locally, and not illegal, but we would never do it: the child takes the first impact in any collision and can knock the handlebars. |
| A baby in arms | No. There is no safe way to hold an infant on a moving scooter, whatever you see on the street. |
Take the bike alone around a quiet block first, then with the other adult, and only then add the child. Keep the child’s feet on the footpegs and well clear of the rear wheel and the exhaust. Hot exhaust burns on the inside of the calf are one of the most common scooter injuries among visitors, adults included.
Licence and insurance: the bigger problem
Many visitors worry about the passenger fine and forget the one that really matters. Riding anything over 50cc in Vietnam requires a valid motorbike licence, which for most foreigners means a home licence with a motorcycle category plus a 1968-convention International Driving Permit. Our guide on whether you need a licence to ride a motorbike in Hoi An covers who qualifies.
Here is why it matters more when there is a child on board. Most travel insurers exclude claims when the rider was unlicensed for the vehicle, and many also look closely at whether the riding was legal at the time. When 3 people ride one motorbike and the rider is unlicensed, that is the combination most likely to leave a family paying hospital costs themselves. Read your own policy wording before you ride; we are not insurers and cannot promise how any policy will be applied.
If nobody in the family holds a motorbike licence, the answer is not to squeeze onto one scooter anyway. It is to choose a vehicle that does not need one, which we explain in our guide to renting in Hoi An without a licence and in the options below.
Safer ways for a family to get around Hoi An
Hoi An is flat, compact and slow, which makes it one of the easiest towns in Vietnam to see with children. There is rarely a reason to have 3 people ride one motorbike when two light vehicles cost less than a restaurant lunch. Prices below are our current daily rates, checked in September 2026; the final quote is always confirmed by message.
| Option | Price per day | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Two automatic scooters (e.g. 2 × Honda Click) | 240.000₫ (2 × 120.000₫) | Licensed parents with one or two school-age kids; beach and day trips |
| Bicycle with child seat | 70.000₫ (50.000₫ + 20.000₫ seat) | Toddlers aged about 2–6, the Old Town, Tra Que, quiet lanes |
| Electric bicycle with child seat | 120.000₫ (100.000₫ + 20.000₫ seat) | Parents who want pedal help on the ride to the beach |
| Kid’s bicycle (ages 4–7) or balance bike (3–5) | 50.000₫ | Children who want to pedal themselves in the Old Town |
| Electric tricycle | 500.000₫ | Grandparents and nervous riders who want no balancing at all |
Two bikes instead of one
For licensed parents this is the answer nine times out of ten. Each adult rides a light automatic with at most one child behind, the load stays within what the bike was designed for, and nobody is breaking a rule. It also means two riders can split up for an hour when one child needs a nap and the other wants the beach. Browse the fleet on our Hoi An motorbike rental page.
Bicycles and e-bikes with a child seat
A rear child seat with a backrest, footrests and a harness is what small children in Hoi An should really be riding in. The seat bolts to the rack, the child is strapped in, and the bicycle can enter the pedestrian Old Town during the hours when motorbikes are banned. We fit the seat for 20.000₫ a day on a city bike or an electric bicycle.
Our Vietnamese guide to bicycles with a baby seat in Hoi An has an age-by-age table and a six-point check for the seat before you ride off, and the bicycle rental page lists every size we carry.
Electric tricycle
For three generations travelling together, the electric tricycle solves a problem scooters cannot. Three wheels mean no balancing at a standstill, there is a driver’s seat plus a rear seat with a backrest, and it is gentle enough for the Old Town fringe, the market and the beach road. It is not built for long day trips, so plan it around town. Details are on the electric tricycle rental page.
For longer trips: a car
For My Son, Ba Na Hills or an airport run with luggage and a toddler, a ride-hailing car with a proper seat is simply the right tool. We do not operate cars or buses; we would rather tell you that than squeeze a family of four onto two wheels for the 38 km ride to My Son.
Old Town hours and family-friendly routes
The core of the Old Town (Tran Phu, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Bach Dang and the lanes around the Japanese Covered Bridge) closes to motorbikes from 9:00 to 11:00 and from 15:00 to 21:30. Bicycles and pedestrians can still go in. That schedule alone is a good reason to choose a bicycle with a child seat for the town itself, and to keep a scooter for the beach. The timings change occasionally, so check our Old Town vehicle restriction hours page for the current version.
- Old Town loop by bicycle: the pedestrian streets at 16:00 when the heat drops, then the riverside as the lanterns come on. Flat, slow and entirely car-free during the closure.
- Tra Que vegetable village: a short ride north on quiet lanes, perfect for a child seat or a kid’s bike in the early morning.
- An Bang Beach: straight up Hai Ba Trung. Busy at rush hour, so go before 8:00 or after 16:00, and do it on two bikes rather than one.
- Cam Thanh coconut forest: a longer, flat ride east. Pleasant on an electric bicycle, tiring on a pedal bike in the midday sun.
Travelling with kids? Tell us their ages and we will set the bikes up for you.
Two scooters, bicycles with child seats, kids’ helmets, a balance bike for the little one: we deliver to your hotel in Hoi An with helmets and rain ponchos included, and our roadside line answers 24/7.
WhatsApp +84 935 206 306See all bikes & prices
Zalo 0935 439 306 · Roadside 24/7: +84 766 766 087 · 84 Phan Chau Trinh, Hoi An
More Bike Options in Hoi An
E-Bike · No license
No License? No Worries!
Rent a 50cc Bike in Hoi An Today!FAQ
Can 3 people ride one motorbike in Vietnam legally?
Only when the third person is a child under 12, or in the three other exceptions the law lists: taking a sick person to emergency care, escorting someone who has broken the law, or carrying an elderly, frail or disabled person. Two adults plus a child under 12 is legal; three adults is not.
What is the fine for three people on a motorbike?
Under Decree 168/2024, carrying two passengers outside the exceptions costs 400.000–600.000₫. Carrying three or more passengers costs 600.000–800.000₫ and 2 licence points. If either causes a crash, the fine rises to 10.000.000–14.000.000₫ and 10 points.
Is a 12-year-old still counted as a child?
No. Since 1 January 2025 the exception covers children under 12. A child who has turned 12 counts as a full passenger, so two adults plus a 12-year-old on one bike can be fined. Under the old law the limit was 14.
Do young children need a helmet on a motorbike in Vietnam?
The rider is not fined for a child under 6 without a helmet, but from age 6 every passenger must wear a fastened helmet. We recommend a properly sized kids’ helmet for any child on a motorbike, and we keep small sizes at the shop.
Can my child sit in front of me on the scooter?
It is not illegal and you will see locals do it, but we advise against it. A child in front takes the first impact in a collision and can knock the handlebars. If a child must ride, sitting between two adults is the most stable position.
What is the best way to get around Hoi An with a toddler?
A bicycle or electric bicycle with a rear child seat for the town, and two separate scooters for the beach if both parents hold a licence. A bicycle with a child seat costs 70.000₫ a day and can enter the Old Town during the hours when motorbikes are banned.
Do you rent child seats and kids’ helmets?
Yes. A rear child seat adds 20.000₫ a day to a city bike or an electric bicycle, and we keep kids’ helmets in small sizes. Tell us your children’s ages when you book and we will prepare the right bikes and deliver them to your hotel.
Reading in Vietnamese? Our guide to bicycles with a baby seat in Hoi An covers the same family options for Vietnamese travellers.
Pick your ride in Hoi AnChọn xe cho chuyến đi Hội An
Scooters, electric bikes and bicycles from one shop in the Old Town — delivered to your hotel, helmets and roadside help included.Xe máy, xe điện và xe đạp — giao tận khách sạn, kèm hai nón bảo hiểm và hỗ trợ dọc đường.
Not sure which one fits? Message us on WhatsApp and we’ll recommend a bike for your plans.
Chưa biết chọn xe nào? Nhắn Zalo 0935 439 306, tụi mình tư vấn theo lịch trình của bạn.