Short version: yes, you need one. Vietnam recognises the 1968 Vienna Convention international driving permit, carried with your home licence, with the motorcycle category on it. The 1949 permit issued in the United States, Canada and some other countries is not valid here.
This is the least romantic article on this blog and the one most likely to save you money. Every season we meet people who bought an international permit at home, assumed it worked everywhere, and found out otherwise at a checkpoint outside Dong Van.
Two different documents with almost the same name
There are two international driving permits in circulation. One comes from a 1949 treaty signed in Geneva; the other from a 1968 treaty signed in Vienna. They look similar and are issued by the same motoring organisations, and countries recognise one, the other, or both.
Vietnam is a party to the 1968 convention. A permit issued under the 1949 convention has no standing here, however official it looks.
How to check yours
Take the booklet out and read the cover. It states which convention it was issued under, in so many words. Then check two more things:
- The category. It must cover motorcycles — category A. A permit endorsed only for cars lets you drive a car.
- Your home licence. The permit is a translation, not a licence. It is only valid alongside the national licence it was issued against, so carry both.
Where this usually goes wrong
The United States, Canada and Ireland are not party to the 1968 convention, and permits issued there are the 1949 kind. Australian and New Zealand permits are commonly the 1949 kind too. If that is your passport, the permit in your bag is very likely the wrong one, and no amount of it being genuine changes that.
The United Kingdom and most of the European Union are party to the 1968 convention, so a British, German, French, Dutch or Italian permit is normally fine — but read the cover anyway, because some countries issue both and you may have been sold the wrong one.
The part that costs money
There are police checkpoints on the loop, and being stopped without a valid licence means a fine. That is the small consequence.
The large one is insurance. Almost every travel policy excludes injury sustained while riding without a licence valid in the country you are in. If you come off a bike on Ma Pi Leng with an invalid permit, you are paying for the helicopter, the hospital and the flight home yourself. Read your policy wording on motorcycles before you decide — many exclude engines above a certain size as well.
What to do if your permit is not valid
Take an Easy Rider. You will see more of Ha Giang from the back seat than from behind the handlebars, you are insured, and you are not gambling a hospital bill on a quiet road. It is the option most of our guests choose, including several who ride at home.
The other route is a Vietnamese licence, which is possible if you live here and have the time for the paperwork. It is not something you can arrange in the week before a tour.
None of this is legal advice, and rules do change — check with your own licensing authority before you travel. But the shape of it has been stable for years, and the cover of your permit will tell you most of what you need to know.
