Vietnam Motorbike Rental Rules Put Focus on Valid Motorcycle Licences

Visitors can still find motorbikes and scooters for rent across Vietnam, but being offered a vehicle is not the same as being legally qualified to ride it. A recent social-media post claimed that police were seizing rented bikes while investigating rental owners who had supplied them to unlicensed foreign riders. GoAsia could not independently verify that report or confirm a new nationwide enforcement campaign.

The underlying legal risk is real and is not a new August 2026 rule. Vietnam’s Decree 168/2024, which took effect on 1 January 2025, applies to Vietnamese and foreign individuals and organisations on Vietnamese territory. It includes penalties for a vehicle owner who hands over or allows a vehicle to be used by someone who does not meet the legal conditions to drive it.

For motorcycles, Article 32 sets a fine of VND 8 million to VND 10 million for an individual owner in this situation. The equivalent range for an organisation is VND 16 million to VND 20 million. The exact outcome depends on the facts of a case and the legal status of the rental business, but the rule gives rental operators a clear reason to check customers’ documents more closely.

Renting a bike does not prove that you may ride it

Many visitors encounter rental counters that ask for little more than a passport copy or deposit. That does not make an otherwise invalid licence valid for use on Vietnamese roads. The rider remains responsible for having a licence that covers the motorcycle class being ridden and is recognised in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s penalty rules specifically refer to international driving permits issued by countries participating in the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic. An international permit should be carried with the accompanying national licence; it is not a stand-alone motorcycle licence and does not expand the vehicle categories shown on the home-country licence. Travellers should check the format of their permit and whether their domestic motorcycle entitlement covers the bike’s engine class before travelling.

What to check before accepting a rental

• Ask the shop for the engine capacity and do not assume that every automatic scooter falls within the entitlement on your licence.
• Carry the original national driving licence and, where applicable, the correctly issued International Driving Permit rather than relying on a photo or a digital copy.
• Confirm that the motorcycle category on the licence matches the vehicle. A car-only licence does not authorise motorcycle riding.
• Keep the rental agreement and the vehicle registration documents supplied by the operator accessible while riding.
• If the shop cannot explain the vehicle class or its documentation, choose another operator or use a licensed driver, taxi or ride-hailing service instead.

The legal exposure can become more serious after a crash. Vietnam’s Criminal Code contains a separate offence for an owner or manager who gives a road vehicle to a person known not to be qualified to drive it, where the statutory harm thresholds are met. That provision does not mean every improper rental is a criminal case, but it is one reason operators may refuse customers who cannot show suitable documents.

Visitors stopped at a roadside check should expect to show their driving documents as well as the vehicle paperwork. A rental shop’s willingness to hand over the keys is not a reliable test of compliance, particularly for travellers whose home-country licence or IDP is not recognised for the motorcycle they intend to ride.