Riding Without a Licence in Nha Trang: Fines and IDP

A moped needs no licence class, and 16 is the minimum age. Anything bigger needs a licence valid in Vietnam, such as a Vietnamese licence or an IDP from a 1968 Convention country with your home licence for the class. Without one, the fine is 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 VND up to 125 cm3, and 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 VND above.

By Vincent Nguyen

On the evening of 13 May 2026, Khanh Hoa police checked a Russian rider on Tran Phu Street. He could show an Indonesian licence but no international one. A moped needs no licence class, but a 110cc shop scooter is a motorcycle and does. Riding one without a licence valid in Vietnam costs 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 VND up to 125 cm3, or 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 VND above.

Which case are you?

• Bike is a moped — engine up to 50 cm3 or electric motor up to 4 kW: no licence class is needed, and 16 is the minimum age.
• Scooter up to 125 cm3 on a home car licence alone — the licence does not suit the vehicle driven, so the fine is 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 VND.
• Car licence only, with or without an IDP — it suits only a moped. On a bigger bike the fine is 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 VND up to 125 cm3, and 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 VND above.
• 1968 Convention IDP with your home-country licence for the class you ride — both documents are valid here, and both must be carried.
• A licence from another country and no IDP — a Russian rider showed an Indonesian licence and no international one, and police asked him to come to their office.
• IDP but no home-country licence for the class you ride — up to 125 cm3 it is 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 VND, and over 125 cm3 it is 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 VND.
• Engine over 125 cm3, electric motor over 11 kW, or a three-wheeled motorbike — either limit on its own puts the bike in the higher band, 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 VND.

The two fine bands, by vehicle class

Decree 168/2024/NĐ-CP sets both bands, and each is a range rather than a single figure. A two-wheeled motorbike up to 125 cm3, or with an electric motor up to 11 kW, sits in the lower band.

A two-wheeled motorbike over 125 cm3, or with an electric motor over 11 kW, sits in the higher one. Either limit alone moves the bike up, and a three-wheeled motorbike is in the higher band too.

Is an IDP or a home licence valid in Vietnam?

The law accepts an IDP issued by a 1968 Vienna Convention member state on the Convention’s uniform template. VOV reported that other international licences have no validity. Look at which convention your IDP states before you rent. The Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety 36/2024/QH15 lists four valid kinds of licence:

• a licence issued by a Vietnamese authority;
• an IDP from a 1968 Convention member state, carried with a national licence for the class ridden;
• a licence from a country or territory with a mutual-recognition treaty or agreement with Vietnam;
• a foreign licence from a country recognised under a treaty Vietnam is party to.

The law text does not name the countries under the last two.

An IDP runs no more than 3 years from issue and must stay within the time left on the national licence. Vietnam acceded to the 1968 Convention on 20 August 2014.

A tourist visa is not on the list. A Canadian rider told police his tourist visa meant he needed no international licence. Police still drew up a penalty record and held his motorbike. The fine decree names the 1968 UN Convention on Road Traffic, so check that your IDP is issued under it.

Living here: convert the licence instead

A foreigner who lives, works or studies in Vietnam may have a valid national licence converted into a Vietnamese one. The person needs a visa or temporary residence card valid for 90 days or more, or another listed document. An IDP is not converted, and neither is an expired or torn foreign licence. Documents, fee and filing are in driving licence in Nha Trang.

What Khanh Hoa police have done in Nha Trang

On the evening of 13 May 2026 the road traffic police team of Khanh Hoa province checked foreigners in the wards of Nha Trang. A Russian rider on Tran Phu Street showed an Indonesian licence and no international one. The team asked him to come to their office.

The Russian rider’s motorbike was taken to the police office with the people involved. For the Canadian rider, police drew up a penalty record and temporarily held the motorbike. They also drew up a penalty record against the owner of the motorbike, for handing it to a person not qualified to ride it.

The press report states no fine amount for either case. The provincial authorities have also turned to the shops. A Khanh Hoa Department of Transport statement reported by VOH on 25 October 2025 says Nha Trang has hundreds of motorbike rental businesses, mainly serving tourists. It says that in many cases foreign guests had no valid international licence, or did not carry it, yet shops still rented them a bike.

The provincial People’s Committee told the authorities to check rental businesses’ trading conditions, renter files, rental contracts, driving licences and vehicle insurance. Some foreigners showed only a passport or ID, and some had a Vietnamese person rent in their name.

Nha Trang city police counted more than 30 traffic accidents involving foreigners on self-drive motorbikes in the first nine months of 2025, 6 of them with serious injuries. Warning signs and leaflets must go where international guests gather, such as Tran Phu, Nguyen Thien Thuat and Hung Vuong streets and around Dam Market.

The checks continued through summer. On 8 May 2026 the Nha Trang Ward People’s Committee told agencies to strengthen oversight of rentals. Rental businesses face strict penalties for handing a bike to a tourist without a valid licence.

Tuoi Tre News reported on 1 August that hundreds of foreigners were fined for not meeting the requirements to rent and ride. It also reported nine businesses identified as renting to foreigners, mainly in Nha Trang Ward.

What the police can hold, and for how long

For a no-licence stop in either band, the officer may hold the vehicle before the penalty decision. Under the Law on Handling of Administrative Violations 15/2012/QH13, a seizure normally runs no more than 7 working days, or 10 working days when the file goes to another authority. In the cases the law lists, it can be extended to no more than 1 month, then no more than 2 months.

A bike held to secure the penalty decision is kept until that decision has been carried out, and the holding ends at that point. Where only a money fine applies, the officer may hold the driving licence until the penalty is carried out. A rider with no papers can have the vehicle held instead.

If you are stopped

• The officer may hold the vehicle before the penalty decision, in either band.
• A temporary seizure normally lasts no more than 7 working days, or 10 working days when the file goes to another authority.
• A bike held to secure the penalty is kept until the decision has been carried out.
• A penalty without a written record is limited to a warning or a fine up to 500,000 VND for an individual. The licence fines on this page are 2,000,000 VND and up.
• A fine is paid at the State Treasury or into the Treasury account named in the decision. Outside office hours the officer may collect the fine directly.
• A written decision must be handed to you, and any cash you pay must come with a payment document.
• After an accident, the UK advice is to cooperate with the police and inform the British embassy or consulate.
• 113 is the police line. UK advice says emergency numbers in Vietnam answer in Vietnamese only, so take a translator when reporting a crime.
• On a rental, the owner who lets an unlicensed person ride is also fined: 8,000,000 to 10,000,000 VND as an individual, 16,000,000 to 20,000,000 VND as an organisation.

More numbers are in Nha Trang emergency numbers.

What Nha Trang shops ask for and charge

True Friends Easy Rider shows a 50cc SYM Priti from 150.000đ a day and a Yamaha Grande 125cc from 130.000đ a day on its website. VIETMOTO lists a Honda Vision 110cc from 150,000 VND a day with a 2,000,000 VND deposit, and a Honda PCX 150cc from 350,000 VND with a 3,000,000 VND deposit.

San Ho Viet says the rider must be 18 or older and must have a driving licence. It checks the ID card and licence, then keeps one of the two as the deposit.

The Vision is 110cc, above the 50 cm3 ceiling for a moped, so it is a motorcycle and not a moped. A rider on one needs class A1, which covers two-wheeled motorbikes up to 125 cm3, or with an electric motor up to 11 kW. A 50cc scooter is within the moped definition.

Compare all six shops, with addresses and hours, in motorbike rental in Nha Trang. Buying your own machine is in buy or rent a motorbike and register a motorbike. For Grab, taxis and the city bus, see getting around Nha Trang.

Before you rent: deposit, contract and insurance

Passport as a deposit. The UK government says not to use your passport as a deposit for hiring vehicles. Like Bike’s rental contract needs the details of a foreign passport. VIETMOTO says its deposit is only a pre-authorization hold that is returned when the bike comes back.

Licence check. A shop that hands over a motorcycle without looking at your licence is a red flag. An owner who lets an unlicensed person ride is fined 8,000,000 to 10,000,000 VND as an individual, or 16,000,000 to 20,000,000 VND as an organisation. San Ho Viet says the renter pays all traffic fines in full, and the rental time is still charged and not refunded.

Written terms. UK advice says to check the bike thoroughly, rent from a reputable organisation and use a good helmet. Get the deposit, damage terms and return condition in writing.

Insurance. The compulsory third-party motor insurer pays no compensation when the driver has no licence or an invalid one. The UK government says it is illegal to drive without third-party insurance.

It advises making sure travel insurance covers your activity. True Friends Easy Rider says it does not provide personal travel or medical insurance. Read your travel policy for a licence condition before you ride.

What the law requires

• A driver must hold a licence that is valid, still has points and suits the vehicle driven; a moped rider is the exception.
• A moped rider must know the road rules, handle the vehicle, and meet the age and health conditions.
• Class A1 covers two-wheeled motorbikes up to 125 cm3 or 11 kW; class A covers what is above that, and everything class A1 covers too.
• The moped definition turns on a design speed of 50 km/h or less, with an engine up to 50 cm3 or an electric motor up to 4 kW.
• A motorcycle is a two- or three-wheeled motor vehicle that is not a moped.
• A pedal-assist bicycle, electric included, cuts motor power at 25 km/h and is a rudimentary vehicle.
• Age: 16 or over may ride a moped; 18 or over may be issued class A1, A, B1, B or C1.
• Operating a motor vehicle in road traffic without the licence the law requires is a prohibited act.

Photos and clips uploaded to Google Maps (Nha Trang Beach on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), San Ho Viet Motorbike Rental on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), VIETMOTO Motorbike Rental on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), True Friends Easy Rider on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), MonMon Motorbike Rental on Google Maps (opens in a new tab)) by @Hải Ngô, @Dat Trieu Man, @VIETMOTO Cho Thuê Xe Máy / Motorbike rental / Аренда байков, @Easy Rider Nha Trang (Electric Scooters Available), @Ильяс Иванов.

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Not confirmed: Which convention your own IDP states: the law names a 1968 Convention member state and its uniform template. Whether Vietnam recognises your home licence under a treaty or agreement.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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