Before renting a scooter in Vietnam, verify the licence that applies to you.

Official UK guidance tells British visitors to carry the 1968 International Driving Permit together with their UK licence. Check that the motorcycle entitlement covers the selected engine class and verify insurance separately.

France Diplomatie states that driving in Vietnam requires an International Driving Permit together with the valid French driving licence. It also tells visitors to make sure the vehicle is insured.

The International Driving Permit is a translation, not an extra vehicle entitlement. French public-service guidance says it covers only the same vehicle categories as the domestic licence, so verify that the motorcycle category shown on both documents covers the scooter you plan to ride.

The German Federal Foreign Office says an International Driving Permit is required for a temporary stay and is valid only together with the national German licence.

Its Vietnam guidance explicitly says that German category B does not permit riding motorcycles or scooters over 50 cc and that the German B196 extension is not recognised in Vietnam. That warning applies to Vroomad's Budget, Comfort and Premium categories; the separate Licence-Free 50 category must stay inside Vietnam's moped definition.

The U.S. Department of State says that U.S. driver licences and International Driving Permits do not work in Vietnam. Its current guidance directs drivers of licence-requiring vehicles to obtain a Vietnamese licence and warns that riding without one can lead to penalties.

That country-specific warning does not turn a legally defined moped into a licence-requiring motorcycle. A U.S. visitor may consider the compliant Licence-Free 50 category, but should verify the vehicle specification and insurance rather than applying U.S. licence documents to a larger scooter.

Viet Nam acceded to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic in 2014 and recognises permits issued under it. The Republic of Korea signed that convention in 1969 but never ratified it, and issues International Driving Permits under the 1949 Geneva Convention instead. The two are different documents, and the Korean one is not the one Viet Nam's accession contemplates.

That is a documents problem, not a vehicle problem: it does not turn a legally defined moped into a licence-requiring motorcycle. A Korean visitor may consider the compliant Licence-Free 50 category, and should confirm the vehicle specification and their own insurance rather than assuming a 1949 permit closes the gap.

The People's Republic of China is not a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention or to the 1949 Geneva Convention, so no International Driving Permit is issued against a mainland licence and a mainland licence alone is not a document Viet Nam recognises for a licence-requiring vehicle.

The remaining lawful route for a visitor is a Vietnamese licence, or a vehicle that requires none. A mainland visitor may consider the compliant Licence-Free 50 category, checking the engine capacity and design speed against the definition rather than the label on the bike.

Taiwan issues international permits in the form the 1968 Convention describes, but it is not a party to that convention, so acceptance abroad rests on the receiving country rather than on the treaty. Whether Viet Nam's authorities accept one is not something this page can promise, and it is worth confirming before travelling rather than at a roadside.

Until it is confirmed, treat the permit as unverified rather than valid. The compliant Licence-Free 50 category needs no motorcycle entitlement at all, which is the one route that does not depend on the answer.

Hong Kong issues International Driving Permits under the 1949 Geneva Convention. Viet Nam recognises the 1968 permit, so a Hong Kong permit is not the document being asked for, however current and correctly issued it is.

As with every other issuing country here, that limits the documents and not the vehicle class: the compliant Licence-Free 50 category requires no motorcycle entitlement, and the specification is what to verify.

The Russian Federation has been a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention since 1974, so an International Driving Permit issued in Russia is issued under the convention Viet Nam acceded to. Carry it together with the Russian licence it was issued against — the permit is a translation of that licence, not a substitute for it.

The permit still only covers the categories the underlying licence already holds. Check that the motorcycle category is among them before booking a class above the moped definition, and confirm separately that your travel or medical cover extends to riding.

Thailand ratified the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic in 2020, so a Thai International Driving Permit issued under it is the document Viet Nam's own accession contemplates. Thailand is also a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention and its Department of Land Transport issues that booklet too — which means holding a Thai permit is not by itself the answer. Check which convention is printed on the one you were given before you travel.

The permit carries the categories the Thai licence behind it already holds and adds none, so confirm the motorcycle category covers the class you intend to book rather than the moped definition alone. Carry both documents together, and confirm separately that your travel or medical cover extends to riding.