UK Licence + IDP: Riding a Motorbike in Vietnam

Can I ride a petrol motorbike in Vietnam on a UK licence?

Yes. The UK issues the 1968 Vienna Convention IDP — the IDP Vietnam recognises — so a UK rider who holds the right permit and licence category can ride petrol legally.

Vietnam recognises the 1968 Vienna Convention type of International Driving Permit (and, under a separate 2023 treaty, Korean permits with the category A stamp). Countries that issue only the older 1949 permit and have no licence agreement with Vietnam are stuck — their IDP does not count here, and their citizens cannot legally ride a petrol motorbike over 50cc.

The UK is not one of them. The UK issues the 1968 IDP (alongside the 1949 and 1926 permits for other destinations), which puts UK riders squarely in the group that can comply. You are not looking for a loophole; you are following the standard, legal route.

• Vietnam recognises the 1968 Vienna Convention IDP, not the 1949 one.
• The UK issues the 1968 IDP — so UK riders qualify.
• You still need your UK photocard licence AND the IDP together (see below).

How to get the 1968 IDP in the UK

Get a 1968 IDP in person, over the counter, at a shop that offers PayPoint. It costs £5.50, and you need your valid GB or NI photocard licence to obtain one.

The UK IDP is issued face-to-face — you walk in, show your licence, and walk out with the permit the same visit. It is issued at retail outlets that carry PayPoint (the Post Office no longer issues IDPs).

The cost is £5.50. To be issued one, you must hold a valid GB or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence.

When you ask for the permit, make sure you are getting the 1968 type — that is the one that works in Vietnam. Confirm the current channel and details on the official gov.uk page (gov.uk/driving-abroad/international-driving-permit) before you go.

• Where: in person, over the counter, at outlets offering PayPoint.
• Cost: £5.50.
• Bring: your valid GB or NI photocard driving licence.
• Ask for: the 1968 (Vienna Convention) IDP.

Carry your IDP with your photocard licence

An IDP is never valid on its own. Always carry your physical UK photocard licence together with the IDP whenever you ride.

The IDP is a translation and companion document, not a standalone licence. gov.uk is explicit: always have your driving licence with you, as well as your IDP.

In practice that means both documents in your pocket every time you ride in Vietnam. If police stop you and you have the IDP but left the photocard in the hotel safe, you are not covered. Keep them together.

Match your licence category to the bike

UK category A1 covers bikes up to 125cc (11 kW). Full category A covers larger, more powerful bikes. Only ride what your category allows.

Your UK licence category, carried across by the IDP, sets what you may ride:

Category A1 covers a light motorcycle up to 125cc and 11 kW (minimum age 17). This matches most of the popular scooters and small bikes rented in Vietnam.

Full category A is unrestricted in size and power — it covers bikes above the 125cc A1 cap. If you want anything bigger than a 125, you need full A.

Vietnam's own licence structure mirrors this split: A1 for bikes up to 125cc, A for above. Rent within your category. Riding a 150cc or larger on an A1-only entitlement means you are not properly licensed for that machine — with the same legal exposure as riding with no valid licence at all.

• A1 → up to 125cc / 11 kW (min age 17).
• Full A → bikes over 125cc, unrestricted.
• Rent a bike that fits your category — do not size up beyond it.

What it costs to get it wrong

Riding without a valid licence under Decree 168/2024 means fines of VND 2–4M for bikes up to 125cc or VND 6–8M for larger bikes, plus a 7-working-day impound. Since March 2026 the shop that rented you the bike faces a far bigger one — up to VND 60 million — which is why the careful shops now check before the bike moves.

Vietnam has tightened this sharply, in two steps. Decree 168/2024 multiplied the fines on the rider from 1 January 2025. Then Decree 336/2025, in force since 1 March 2026, added a separate and far larger fine on the business that hands the bike over — VND 28–30 million for a person or family shop, VND 56–60 million for a company — on top of the VND 8–20 million the vehicle's owner already faced. Since July 2026 there have also been criminal prosecutions of people who rented to unlicensed foreigners, in one case a hotel receptionist. That is why a shop that checks your licence properly is now the normal one, and why several have stopped renting to foreigners altogether rather than carry the risk. If you ride petrol over 50cc without a valid, recognised licence (i.e. without the 1968 IDP plus your photocard, or on the wrong category):

No valid licence: VND 2–4M for bikes up to 125cc, VND 6–8M for bigger bikes, plus your motorbike impounded for seven working days.

No helmet: VND 400,000–600,000.

Alcohol: the limit is zero — any reading is an offence.

These are the everyday numbers. The upside is that everything above is fully avoidable: the 1968 IDP costs £5.50 and takes one shop visit.

A word on insurance vs damage waiver

One honest caution that has nothing to do with your licence: the CDW or "insurance" a rental shop quotes is usually a damage cap, not real insurance. It limits what you might pay if the bike is damaged — it does not cover your own medical bills, and it is not the same as personal travel or medical cover.

Never assume you are "fully covered" because a shop said so. Read what the waiver actually caps, and carry proper travel/medical insurance of your own. Being legally licensed and being financially protected are two separate things — sort out both before you ride.

Frequently asked questions