1968 vs 1949 IDP: who can legally ride a motorbike in Vietnam

Vietnam recognises the 1968 Vienna Convention permit

Vietnam recognises the 1968 Vienna Convention International Driving Permit. A 1949 Geneva Convention permit — the kind issued by the US, Canada, Australia and Japan — is not valid here for a petrol motorbike over 50cc.

There are two international treaties that produce an IDP: the 1949 Geneva Convention and the 1968 Vienna Convention. Vietnam is a party to the 1968 one, so a 1968-convention IDP carried with your home licence is valid here and a 1949 permit on its own is not.

A 1949 Geneva permit is, in the words of more than one rider who learned the hard way, treated like a souvenir booklet. It does not make you legal to ride a petrol motorbike over 50cc in Vietnam.

Whose permit is valid (1968) — a representative list

Most of continental Europe issues 1968 permits, and crucially so does the UK. If your licence was issued in one of these countries and you hold the matching IDP, you can be a fully legal rider here:

• United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria
• Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Czechia, Hungary
• Russia, Brazil, the Philippines, Thailand, the UAE, Israel

Whose permit is NOT valid here

These countries issue only the 1949 permit (or aren't party to the 1968 treaty). Their riders cannot legally ride a petrol bike over 50cc in Vietnam, no matter what a rental shop tells them:

• United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand
• Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, India
• Spain, Ireland (and a few others — confirm your exact case)

South Korea is the exception, and almost nobody says so

Vietnam and Korea have recognised each other's international permits since 23 July 2023 under a bilateral agreement. A Korean national whose permit carries the category A motorcycle stamp can ride here legally, even though Korea is not a party to the 1968 convention.

The Vienna Convention is not the only way a permit becomes valid in Vietnam. A treaty between two governments can do the same job, and one has. The Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the Government of the Republic of Korea on Mutual Recognition of International Driving Permits was signed in Hanoi on 23 June 2023 and came into force on 23 July 2023. Its whole point is to bridge the gap: Korea's permit is issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, Vietnam's under the 1968 Vienna Convention, and each country agrees to honour the other's.

Article 1(2) is specific about two-wheelers. A Korean national holding a Korea-issued permit with the category A stamp may ride the vehicles that category covers. Every other category on a Korean permit authorises category B vehicles only, which means cars. So the stamp decides it, and the stamp is where most Korean riders come unstuck: Korea prints category A only for holders of 2종 소형, the dedicated motorcycle licence. An ordinary Korean car licence lets its holder ride up to 125cc at home, but the permit office issues the international permit with no motorcycle stamp at all.

Three more conditions travel with it. The permit has to be carried together with the Korean domestic licence. The use has to be non-commercial, which self-ride rental is. And it runs for at most one year from the date the rider entered Vietnam.

If you are Korean and this is the first you have heard of it, that is not your fault. Korea's own foreign ministry travel page for Vietnam still tells Korean travellers that only Vienna permits are recognised here, which was true until July 2023 and has not been true since. Check the stamp on your permit rather than the advice page.

• In force since 23 July 2023, signed 23 June 2023
• Category A stamp on the Korean permit — motorcycles; any other category — cars only
• Korea stamps A only for 2종 소형 holders, not for ordinary car licences
• Carry the permit with your Korean licence, non-commercial use, within one year of entry

What it costs to get it wrong (Decree 168, in force since Jan 2025)

Riding a petrol motorbike over 50cc without a Vietnam-recognised licence is fined VND 2–4 million for a bike up to 125cc, or VND 6–8 million over 125cc, plus a 7-day bike impound. Under Article 32.10, the person who hands an unlicensed rider the bike faces a separate VND 8–10 million fine.

Vietnam's Decree 168/2024 sharply raised traffic penalties from 1 January 2025. Riding without a Vietnam-recognised licence is fined VND 2–4 million (≈ USD 80–160) for a bike up to 125cc, or VND 6–8 million (≈ USD 240–320) for anything larger, and your bike is impounded for up to seven days — mid-trip.

The quieter, larger risk is insurance: ride without a valid licence and a crash can void your travel-medical cover, leaving you personally liable for a hospital bill that can run into five figures. The legal problem and the financial one are the same problem.

The legal way through if your permit isn't valid

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 — it is legal for everyone to ride in Vietnam, and it comfortably covers city and coastal riding. The other route is a Vietnamese licence, which is possible but slow.

This is exactly the check Kai does first: tell it your country and whether you hold a 1968 IDP, and in about 90 seconds you'll know precisely what you can legally ride — before you pay anything.

Frequently asked questions