Can I ride a motorbike in Vietnam with an Australian licence? (2026)

The honest answer: your Australian IDP isn't recognised for a real motorbike

No. Australia issues a 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit, and Vietnam recognises only the 1968 Vienna Convention permit. An Australian licence plus an Australian IDP does not make you legal to ride a petrol motorbike over 50cc in Vietnam.

There are two international driving-permit treaties. Vietnam is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention only. Australia issues the older 1949 Geneva permit — so an Australian IDP, however official, is treated here like a souvenir booklet on a petrol bike over 50cc.

This is about the country that issued your licence, not your riding skill. A full Australian motorbike licence plus an IDP still leaves you legally unlicensed on a petrol bike here.

Why 'just buy a 1968 IDP online' is a trap

You'll see forum advice to buy a 1968 IDP online. It's a trap: a genuine 1968 permit can only be issued by a country that is a party to the 1968 convention, and Australia is not one. So a real Australian 1968 IDP cannot exist — anything sold to you as one is a fake.

A fake is worse than nothing. It voids any insurance that relied on it, and presenting a falsified document to police is its own, more serious problem than simply not having a permit.

What it costs if you ride anyway

Riding a petrol motorbike over 50cc without a Vietnam-recognised licence is fined VND 2–4 million (up to 125cc) or VND 6–8 million (over 125cc) under Decree 168/2024, plus a bike impound of up to seven days.

Under Decree 168/2024 the no-licence fine is VND 2–4 million (≈ AUD 120–240) up to 125cc, or VND 6–8 million over 125cc, with the bike impounded up to seven days — mid-trip. Helmets are mandatory and the alcohol limit is zero.

The bigger risk is quieter: an illegal ride is an uninsured ride.

Insurance: an illegal ride is an uninsured ride

Most travel policies only cover you if you are licensed to ride both at home AND at your destination. Because you're not legally licensed on a petrol bike in Vietnam, a crash can void your travel-medical cover — leaving you personally liable for a hospital bill that can run into five figures.

We will never tell you you're 'fully covered'. On the legal options below, you genuinely can be insured.

Your genuinely legal rides

You are not stuck. A licence-free electric scooter — rated 4 kW or under with a design speed of 50 km/h or under — needs no licence and no IDP, and it's legal for any visitor. It comfortably covers city, beach-road and day rides, and you can insure your own medical care on it through a policy such as Genki.

For the big coastal passes and the Ha Giang mountains, the legal no-licence route is to ride pillion with a professional easy-rider — no permit is required of a passenger. Tell Kai your dates and it'll put you on something legal, delivered to your hotel, at one honest price — no passport held as deposit.

Frequently asked questions