No Licence for Saigon? The Legal Scooter, and the Long-Stay Route

Saigon without a motorbike licence comes down to one kind of scooter, the licence-free electric, and the inner districts are its ground: District 1, the crossing to Thu Thiem, the markets and cafés in between. A District 1 market in the morning, the Saigon River after dark, and the scooter parked outside wherever you stop. Vung Tau works differently, and so does a long stay in the city; both are below.

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The inner districts on a licence-free scooter

Ben Thanh in the morning, the Thu Thiem riverfront in the evening, the short hops between: that is the Saigon a licence-free electric is built for.

The city is bigger than it was. Since 1 July 2025 it takes in Binh Duong and Ba Ria–Vung Tau, so Vung Tau's beaches are inside Ho Chi Minh City too; getting there is a long run on the national highway, and the questions below cover it.

Staying for months? The licence route

If you live here for months, your national licence can be converted into the matching Vietnamese category: conversion is open to a foreigner living, working or studying in Vietnam whose visa or residence card runs for 90 days or more (Circular 108/2026, Art. 24.1.a).

Conversion keeps the categories your national licence already carries, so a motorbike category has to be on it; a car-only licence converts to a car licence.

Converting your licence in Ho Chi Minh City

You hand in the file at the traffic police division of the city police, or at a ward police office that takes such applications, or file it online on the National Public Service Portal (Circular 108/2026, Art. 24.3).

The file includes, among other papers, a Vietnamese translation of your licence, certified by a notary office in Vietnam or made by a Vietnamese mission abroad, and a copy of your visa or residence card. Article 24 lists the rest: a photo, the originals to show, a fee, and a health certificate that the circular excuses some foreigners from. An expired licence cannot be converted, and neither can an international driving permit.

What riding without the right licence costs

Riding without a recognised licence is fined VND 2–4 million up to 125cc and VND 6–8 million above, and the bike can be impounded for up to seven working days, longer if the case is escalated (Decree 168/2024). Whoever hands the bike to such a rider is fined too: a private owner VND 8–10 million (Decree 168/2024), a household rental business VND 28–30 million and a rental company VND 56–60 million (Decree 336/2025). Riding illegally can void your travel-medical cover.

Before you ask for a bike

Kai, our AI concierge, tells you what you may legally ride. From 350,000 ₫ a day (≈ $14) all-in, one rate at any length; the deposit is cash on handover, nothing in advance.

Across Vietnam, an electric scooter rated 4 kW or under with a design speed of 50 km/h or under, or a petrol moped of 50cc or under, needs no motorbike licence and no international driving permit, for any nationality, and is held to 40 km/h on the road (Circular 38/2024/TT-BGTVT). Every scooter Kai quotes in that class is electric. A petrol bike over 50cc needs your motorbike licence plus a 1968 Vienna Convention permit in the matching category (A1 up to 125cc, A above), or a licence agreement between Vietnam and your country; a car-only permit does not count, and neither does a 1949 Geneva permit on its own. Vietnam joined a 1985 ASEAN agreement recognising members' home licences for temporary stays. We have not confirmed how police apply it, so for now we offer a licence-free electric to riders relying on it. Helmets are compulsory and the alcohol limit is zero. General information, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Can I ride a scooter around Saigon if I have no licence?

On a licence-free electric, yes: it sits in the licence-free class with the 50cc moped and asks no licence or permit of any nationality. Staying for months and want petrol? Converting a national licence that already carries a motorbike category is one way to a licence Vietnam recognises.

Do I need to convert my international driving permit into a Vietnamese licence?

No, and you cannot: a valid 1968 permit is used as it is, carried with your national licence (Law 36/2024, Art. 57.6.b), and Circular 108/2026 does not allow converting it (Art. 24.1.c). What a long-stay resident can convert is the national licence itself.

Can I ride to Vung Tau on the licence-free electric?

We would steer you away from it. The run is on the national highway, motorbikes are barred from the expressway (Law 36/2024, Art. 25.3), and the electric is held to 40 km/h. Vung Tau is a weekend for a bigger bike such as the Honda CB300R, which takes category A on a 1968 permit.

How long does a converted Vietnamese licence last?

Its term follows the papers behind it: Circular 108/2026 converts a foreign licence in line with the term of the licence itself and of your visa or residence card (Art. 24.1.a). Check both dates before you file in Ho Chi Minh City.

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