Motorbike licenses in Vietnam - Everything you need to know
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- Tigit Jon talks about how to drive legally in Vietnam
Useful resources
www.tigitmotor...
www.tigitmotor...
Gov IDP treaty websites
1968
treaties.un.or...
1949
treaties.un.or...
Wiki Page
en.wikipedia.o...
BUY IDP online
go.idaoffers.c...
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Good video of real issues for Australians. I rode two weeks in Vietnam on a Tigit bike but the stress was always if I would be covered by my travel insurance as the policy says you must be legally licensed in the country and you are not actually due to the convention. We got through accident free but it was always a stress in the back of your mind
Great vid, I just got back from Vietnam. I rented motorcycles from Tigit in Da Nange and Hanoi. I had a valid IDP from the US. I was warned about the issues in Ha Giang with the police and advised not to travel there. I travel to the NW from Hanoi. I made it to Sa pa and Lao Cai and then back to Hanoi through Yen Bai. Great riding on the Honda 150L. I saw a police stop point before I reached Sa Pa but I wasn’t stoped. I got great service from Tigit. I am dreaming of another motorcycle trip north of Hanoi to Cao Bang. Thanks from Seattle.
Great info. I take an IDP (New Zealand) every time I go to SE Asia and ride, and have shown it to police a number of times when asked. Never had an issue in Thailand, Philippines or Vietnam... so far so good!
You must be doing something wrong if they stop you. In Vietnam there are very few policemen around.
Nice vid. thanks. for your info, I have a Thai motorbike licence, i got stopped in Vietnam, they did not accept it, and fined me. This was in Da Nang. I explained to the cop about the ASEAN thing, he was having none of it. My next visit im taking the same licence and IDP.
Thank you for this important information! I guess I will reconsider my motorcycle vacation in Vietnam, coming from the USA.
Times may have changed, but I am an American that has been a tourist to Vietnam for 15 trips. In 2010 I got a Vietnamese driver license by having my U.S. license translated ($4), then had a form from the license office certified at th U.S. consulate ($50) . Took that form back to the license office and received the license ($3). The license was good till the expiration date of my U.S. license. It is possible that this was allowed because I don't have a typical tourist visa, but a 5 year visa exemption as I am married to an overseas Vietnamese.
To get an UK IDP you need to physically go to a shop who offers PayPoint. Which are only available in the UK. If you are around the world how possibly do you get one? Insurance will have to pay anyway, as long as you have a valid driving license.
Brilliant video, thank you! Looking forward to be riding in Vietnam with my '49 IDP!
One thing to mention, if you've got a UK car licence, is that if you look at the back, you'll see a big tick next to the motorbike symbol. There's also a code next to that, which basically says that you're licenced to ride a tricycle, which is standard with any UK car licence. But what this effectively means is that when you get your IDP, it comes with a big stamp in the 'motorbike' section, and Vietnamese police don't know about the tricycle thing. I've been pulled over twice, and both times, the police accepted it as valid.
Same with Canada. I only have regular canadian drivers licence but when I got IDP in Canada, they also stamped the motorcycle section :)
Good video about a very confusing subject. For what it is worth I have an Australian motorcycle licence and before renting a bike in Vietnam I phoned up my insurance company (the same one you screenshot in the video) and specifically asked them if I was covered or not, laying out all of these ambiguities with the IDP and so on. This was their response in writing:
"In relation to your query about motorcycle cover -
If you are seeking medical cover overseas as per the terms of the policy, if you hold an Australian driver’s license, you will be covered medically while riding a scooter (engine up to 50CC only). In this clause, moped or scooter means any two-wheeled or three-wheeled motor vehicle with an engine displacement of less than 50 ccs. It does not mean or include any dirt bikes.
If you hold an Australian motorcycle license, you will be covered medically to ride a motorcycle (no limitations on engine size). In this clause, motorcycle means any two-wheeled or three-wheeled motor vehicle with an engine displacement greater than 50cc. Again it does not mean or include any dirt bikes.
Please note, your license must be valid/accepted in the country you are riding (your policy will not respond to any claims where you are acting illegally).
Pillion passengers are covered provided the rider operating the motorcycle has a valid motorcycle license as per the above information.
If you have a drivers/motorcycle license from another country, you will not be covered under our policies. You must have a drivers/motorcycle license that was issued in Australia to be covered under our policy as per the information provided
Also, note there is no cover for any damages to the motorcycle or scooter itself nor personal liability while riding. Motorbikes are not covered under the rental excess component of the cover."
I also called them and spoke to them directly to clarify the situation with riding in Vietnam and insurance cover. My impression from that conversation was they completely did not really understand the situation (who can blame them!) and that they were baffled by my inquiries and that of course I was covered because I had an appropriate licence!!! They unsurprisingly have no idea at all about the ambiguities of Vietnamese law in this matter. So my conclusion would be to fully agree with what you say about this subject. Technically with an Australian licence and an IDP you are riding illegally in Vietnam and thus, technically again, your insurance would not cover you. However because the insurance companies themselves have no knowledge or understanding of this grey area of law in reality I am 99% sure that they would actually agree to pay out on a policy. BUT without actually putting this to the test it is difficult to know for each individual claim. They would be entitled to reject the claim if they investigated the issue and decided to use it against the person covered by their insurance so you are taking a risk.
Yeah, they might have no knowledge of it now, but send them a $20k medical bill and watch them do their research pretty quickly. For the record, I had a friend who got into a pretty bad crash as an expat and her health insurance (not travel) didn't even ask for evidence that she was licenced (she actually had a valid Vietnamese licence).
The worst bit about that response is "Pillion passengers are covered provided the rider operating the motorcycle has a valid motorcycle license as per the above information." Are you supposed to ask for a copy of the licence of every xe om driver to check before you get on the back? And then when you're lying in the road, make sure you get a photocopy of it?
@@joepiekl I the reality is that the insurance companies keep things simple. The burden of proof is on them so they will assume the taxi driver is insured and they will pay out if you have a valid motorcycle licence as it is too difficult for them to investigate opaque local conditions. It will all be driven by underwriters who provide coverage at a certain price based on probabilities and risks.
I can offer my experience with insurance as a grey-area Australian rider (who did not crash!):
I went on a trip last year with my dad around the north (XR150s rented from Tigit Hanoi - thanks Jon!). I was comfortable in the grey area with my Australian motorcycle license and 1949 convention IDP - got pulled over by cops only once near Dong Van, and they took one look at the IDP and waved me on. As Jon points out, the main concern was my travel insurance, and whether or not they'd pay out since I technically did not have the correct license. Before going I read my PDS in detail and under the general exclusions was:
"Quad bike or motorcycle riding during your journey unless it involves you only driving a motorcycle, with an engine capacity of 200cc or less, for which you hold a valid motorcycle licence in Australia or a licence valid for the country you are travelling in if your Australian licence is not recognised in that country;"
So in other words, as long as you have the relevant Australian licence, don't carry a pillion, and don't ride a bike larger than 200cc - you're covered with this policy.
This is the complimentary insurance which comes with a BOM Amplify Platinum credit card (underwritten by Allianz I think). I'm sure there are other policies that allow it as well - so you just might need to shop around.
@@hughklein6123 With my insurer (1Cover) there was a discrepancy between the email they sent me and the conversation I had with them on the phone. The email regurgitated the small print about riding legally according to the laws of Vietnam but when I spoke to them and asked for clarification regarding the IDP issue they basically didn't care about the IDP and told me that as long as I had the appropriate motorcycle licence in Australia I was OK. My impression is that they were simply being realistic by focusing on whether the policyholder had a licence or not and the IDP technicalities they regarded as irrelevent. My take on it is that if I had had to claim then they would have checked that I had my Australian licence and that would have been it. But I cannot be sure without actually going through the claim process.
I just checked my 1949 version which i got for a world trip and Vientnam is NOT listed at the back. Would explain why I was asked where I would be driving when I applied. I didn't mention Vietnman.
On the official UK website it is mentioned 1969 only for Vietnam.
Im.an Aussie lives in indonesia i just use my indo licence in vietnam. As part of the ASEAN Alliance dont need a international permit. Been stopped a few times and no problem
I'm Malaysian with a Malaysian licence and didn't have any issues anywhere in Vietnam, except at Ha Giang, where the police insisted on IDP.
@@minimokey3136 So then what happened with the Ha Giang police? Paid a 200-500k vnd fee on the spot, and moved on?
Yes, under the agreement under the alliance i believe they should be waving you through with no problem. This is Vietnam though. Some cops wouldnt know. Others, who thrive on the ambiguity in the rules to make money, won't accept it. I still don't understand why this place is such a circus in regards to licences when every second driver on the road looks like they could barely operate a pedal tricycle safely. Also - is Vietnam the only country in the modern world WITHOUT an english language version of the licence test? I get that impression.
@@robbie4906 the cops wanted 1.5million from me in da.nang , indo bike licence is class C .they said class C means C for.Car haha we had to google indonssian licence to show the cops. Then they let us go. But got 1.5mil dong off 2 french guys.hahaha
We are from Australia (slow Cruze tours) and travel Vietnam a lot the idp is always a grey area .cover more insurance has always covered every claim large or small as long as we are under 200cc wearing a helmet and have Australian idp not drunk ect the police in ha giang do not recognise this idp but there is always back roads !
will be there on the 15th Feb, and didn't get a IDP before I left to come to SEA.. Do you know if an online digital version will work .. In the end can just pay the fines.. take my chances
Watch the video.... this question is answered in great detail.
Yes please get it.
From the information on the internet, it seems that a Ha Giang Travel Permit is also required. The police may ask for it. Can I get this permit with the help of Tigit Hanoi, or do I have to deal with the travel agencies in Hanoi myself. (I have a rental next month from Tigit Hanoi and I will not pass through Ha Giang, except possibly on the way out.)
It is just 1 of many bits of paper you are "supposed' to have in Vietnam, but no one does.
Honestly I haven't heard of anyone getting it post covid. None of our customers get it or ask about it. I don't even know how you get it!
There is one town I personally went to called "Y TY" where they rejected my stay because I didn't have it. I just drove 3 hours south to Sapa and job done.
Aussie who's mate crashed here. Never got stopped by cops going Saigon to hanoi on a Tigit 150l Au insurance flew my mate out to thailand, then Brisbane . Vietnam hospitals are not good. no problems with insurance payout. Get an IDP and use google translate and you will have a good time.
I live in VN and I will tell you there are many great hospitals here. And very inexpensive. Been coming for 7 years and have lives here full time since Jan 2021.
It’s BS that VN hospitals are not good. Stay home Skippy.
Aussies can't drive apparently.
Very helpful. Why can't governments get along together and think of the people they are leading? Dumb question, I know. BTW, I don't think you really have issues with insurance with Australian insurance companies, as they do offer an insurance coverage as part of their forms.
4:06 - Republic of Vietnam acceding to a convention in 1953 probably is irrelevant to today's law of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, as the Republic of Vietnam ceased to exist when it lost the war in 1975. (Also the date is weird - according to the Wikipedia article on South Vietnam, it became the Republic of Vietnam only in 1955, and it was called State of Vietnam before.)
The Vietnamese code on IDP use is in the circular no. 29/2015/TT-BGTVT and only recognizes the Vienna convention.
I assume they currently only want to recognize the 1968 convention because countries that are part of it mostly have similar road rules and signs to Vietnam (if I understand correctly, Vietnam changed a lot in that regard around 2012 to standardize the rules and signs in line with the rest of Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals members), unlike the US or Australia where there are some noticeable differences.
Unfortunately vietnamese police simply ignore the laws. When they stop you with a Thai license, they just say that you are not Thai therefore the rules do not apply to you. There're many such cases.
Expat comment : I had Thai car and A2 class licenses, supposed to be valid in ASEAN. Most everyone in Vietnam, including motorcycle dealerships (Triumph, Harley, Ducati) told me it wouldn't be accepted by the police (let alone insurance). I also have a UK license, as another gent here mentioned - and I converted it to full A2 Vietnamese license (as indeed they don't understand the code next to it - and prey they never find out!). The one, and very big, frustrating part of licenses in vietnam is : they expire when your work permit does. So every 2-3 years at BEST you need to waste another day doing all this crap. Super irritating
When will Vietnam offer the damn licence test in ENGLISH. Almosy every other country offers a whole bucnh of language options. That way, foreigners can study for the damn thing, complete it, get their damn licence and be safe. It only takes 60 minutes of man power at the Govt agency to translate the test into English. Forever. Less even. I highly suspect the only reason why its only offered in Vietnamese is because it provides yet ANOTHER opportunity for a bit a palm greasing. What other reason could there be?