Do You Need an IDP to Ride a Motorbike in Vietnam? (2026)

Almost every guide answers “do I need an IDP in Vietnam?” with a flat yes. That answer is right but useless, because it skips the part that actually decides whether you are legal: there are two different kinds of International Driving Permit, and Vietnam accepts only one of them. Travellers from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea routinely arrive holding a permit that has no legal effect here at all, and they paid for it, and it looks entirely official.

We hand bikes to visitors every day at our shop in Hoi An, and whether they really need an IDP is the single most misunderstood thing we deal with. Below: which permit is valid, how to check yours in ten seconds without reading a word of Vietnamese, what it actually costs if you’re stopped, why your travel insurance is the bigger risk, and four legal options if your country doesn’t issue the right permit.

Do you need an IDP? The short answer by nationality

Whether you need an IDP, and whether you can even get a valid one, depends entirely on which convention your country has joined. Find yourself here first.

1968 vs 1949, and the ten-second test

There is no such thing as “an International Driving Permit” in the singular. There are three, created by three different treaties (Paris 1926, Geneva 1949 and Vienna 1968), and a country only has to honour the ones it has joined.

Vietnam acceded to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic on 20 August 2014, and the treaty took effect for Vietnam twelve months later. It is the only one of the three that Vietnam is party to. A permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention is a perfectly genuine document; it simply has no standing on Vietnamese roads, in the same way a Vietnamese driving licence has no standing in Ohio.

• The booklets look almost identical. Usually the same grey cover, same size, same multilingual pages. The convention line is the only visible difference.
• Some countries issue more than one type. The UK issues 1926, 1949 and 1968 permits; you get whichever you ask for.
• The permit is a translation, not a licence. It has no validity by itself anywhere in the world.
• Validity: a 1968 permit lasts up to three years, or until your home licence expires if that comes first. A 1949 permit lasts one year.

Which countries issue which permit

This is the table most guides leave out, and several of the ones that include it get it wrong. We checked every row against the UN treaty record for the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic, which lists 91 parties. Check your own country before you decide whether you need an IDP or a different plan.

The rows that surprise people are South Korea and Spain. Both signed the 1968 treaty decades ago and never ratified it, and a signature is not membership. Da Nang sees a great many Korean visitors, and a Korean permit, however official, is the 1949 kind. Indian riders run into the same wall: India never joined the 1968 treaty, so the permit issued there, including the plastic card version, is not recognised here. For the full country list with treaty dates, see our guide to the IDP 1968 in Vietnam.

Why you need an IDP and your home licence together

An International Driving Permit contains no test, no assessment and no authority. It is a standardised translation of a licence you already hold. So even when you do need an IDP, it only works as half of a pair.

1. Carry both, physically. A photo on your phone is not a legal substitute. Keep the pair in a waterproof sleeve; Hoi An rain is not gentle.
2. Check the categories on your home licence. A car-only licence plus an IDP does not authorise a motorcycle. The IDP simply reproduces the categories you already hold; if there’s no motorcycle entitlement at home, there’s none here.
3. Watch the engine size. Most licences from Europe distinguish A1 (up to 125cc), A2 and A. Vietnam draws the same line: since 1 January 2025 its own A1 licence covers up to 125cc or 11 kW. A 155cc scooter is a common rental in Hoi An and it sits outside an A1 entitlement.
4. Check the expiry. A 1968 permit can last up to three years, but it dies the moment your home licence does.
5. Leave your passport at the hotel. Carry a photocopy plus the licence pair. No rental shop needs to hold your passport, and none should.

What it costs if you’re stopped

Vietnam’s traffic penalties were rewritten by Decree 168/2024/ND-CP, in force since 1 January 2025. The increases were large and they apply to foreign riders exactly as they apply to Vietnamese ones.

• The bike can be held. This is the part that ruins trips: a temporary seizure can run up to seven days, and you are still paying the rental company for a bike sitting in a police compound.
• The penalty is per stop. Paying it does not make you legal; ride on and the next officer can issue it again.
• The shop is exposed too. Those last two rows are why a serious rental business asks to see your licence. If a shop hands you a 155cc bike without a glance at your papers, that tells you what kind of shop it is.
• Always ask for the official record (biên bản). A written fine paid at the treasury or by bank transfer is the legitimate process.

We’ve written separate, practical guides on roadside checks: what happens at a police stop in Hoi An and tips to avoid fines when riding in Vietnam.

The bigger risk: your travel insurance

Most visitors weigh the question of whether they need an IDP against the fine. That is the wrong number. The fine is a few hundred dollars. A medical evacuation from central Vietnam can run to tens of thousands.

• Some policies exclude motorbikes over 125cc outright, whatever your licence says.
• Some require a licence valid in your home country for the same class, not just any licence.
• Helmet clauses are common, and helmets are compulsory in Vietnam for rider and passenger anyway.
• 50cc and low-power electric bikes need no licence here, but check whether your policy still requires one. The two rules are independent.

How to get a valid 1968 IDP before you fly

If you need an IDP and your country is a party to the 1968 convention, getting one is usually a short errand, and it must be done before you leave. No Vietnamese authority can issue you a foreign IDP after you arrive.

• Bring: your full home licence, a passport photo, your passport, and the fee. That is normally the entire list.
• Check the categories printed inside before you leave the counter. Motorcycle entitlements must be stamped or they are not there.
• Apply at least a month out if your country posts the permit rather than issuing it over the counter.
• There is no online shortcut. Only a government authority or the officially designated motoring organisation can issue a real IDP.

If your country only issues a 1949 permit

Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, Irish, Japanese, Korean and Indian riders: your permit will not make a 110cc scooter legal here. You still need an IDP of the right kind for that, and you cannot get one. That is not the end of the trip; it just means choosing from these four routes instead. They are listed best to worst.

1. Ride a 50cc bike, or a low-power electric bike. Under the Road Traffic Order and Safety Law 2024 (in force 1 January 2025) no licence of any kind is required for a moped of 50cc or less, or an electric one up to 4 kW and 50 km/h, for anyone, foreign or Vietnamese. Minimum age 16. This is not a loophole or a grey area; it is the plain text of the law, and for a Hoi An holiday a 50cc scooter or an e-bike covers almost everything. Details in our guides to the licence for a 50cc scooter and whether electric bikes need a licence.
2. Don’t ride, be ridden. Grab bike, a private driver, or a guided motorbike tour with a licensed rider. You still get the Hai Van Pass and the countryside, legally, and someone else deals with the traffic.
3. Convert to a Vietnamese licence. Available if you are staying a while: you generally need a visa or residence card valid for more than three months, your home licence with a notarised translation, a health check and a fee. Since 1 March 2025 licensing is handled by the traffic police under the Ministry of Public Security. It takes days to weeks, not hours. Worth it for expats and long-stay riders; not for a two-week holiday.
4. Ride a larger bike anyway, unlicensed. Plenty of people do. We are not going to pretend otherwise, but understand exactly what you are choosing: a 2–8 million₫ fine per stop, a bike that can be held, and a travel insurance policy that may not pay if you are hurt. Our honest advice is option 1.

“International Driver’s Licence” websites: what you’re buying

Search for whether you need an IDP and the first results will be commercial sites selling an “International Driver’s Licence” or “International Driving Document” for $40–100, delivered as a PDF in twenty minutes. They look convincing: holograms, a photo, a booklet, dozens of languages.

• The tell is the issuer. If it is not your government or your national motoring club, it is not an IDP.
• “Valid in 150+ countries” is marketing, not a legal statement. Validity comes from a treaty, not a claim on a website.
• Instant issue is the giveaway. Real permits require your physical licence to be presented or verified.
• If you already bought one, it is not a disaster; it is just not a licence. Fall back to the options in section 08.

Riding legally in Hoi An

Hoi An is unusually forgiving terrain for a visitor who would otherwise need an IDP: flat, short distances, and most of what you want to see is within five kilometres of the Old Town. That matters because it makes the fully legal, no-licence option practical here in a way it wouldn’t be for a Ha Giang loop. Distances below are Google Maps directions from our shop at 84 Phan Chau Trinh.

• Helmets are compulsory for rider and passenger, and come with every rental.
• The Old Town closes to motorbikes twice a day, 09:00–11:00 and from 15:00 into the evening. Plan around it with our guide to the Old Town vehicle restriction hours.
• Check what you’re actually being given. Ask the engine size before you sign. “Scooter” covers everything from a 50cc SYM Shark to a 155cc NVX, and only the first is licence-free.
• New to riding in Vietnam? Read our riding safely in Hoi An notes before your first afternoon.

Frequently asked questions

The treaty side in depth: IDP 1968 Vietnam: which permit lets you ride · Bản tiếng Việt: Thuê xe máy Hội An có cần bằng lái không?

Updated October 2026. Treaty membership from the UN Treaty Collection record for the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic; penalties from Decree 168/2024/ND-CP, in force 1 January 2025; licence exemptions from the Road Traffic Order and Safety Law 2024. Distances measured with Google Maps directions from 84 Phan Chau Trinh, Hoi An. USD amounts are rounded approximations. We rent motorbikes and are not lawyers: this is general information, not legal advice, and enforcement practice varies. Confirm your own permit type with the issuing authority in your country before you travel.