Why Indian IDPs Fail in Vietnam in 2026: 1968 Format Only

The short answer for an Indian traveller is no. Vietnam lets visitors drive on their home licence only when it comes with an International Driving Permit issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention, and India never signed that treaty. The permit your RTO hands over is the 1949 Geneva kind. Vietnam does not recognise it, for cars or for scooters, so the coast road to Hoi An and the loops around Ha Giang are trips to take with a driver.

Two conventions, one wrong booklet

International driving permits exist under two treaties. India joined the 1949 one; Vietnam is a party to the 1968 one and recognises that format. An IDP looks like a generic passport-sized booklet, so the mismatch is easy to miss: the cover may say “International Driving Permit” in English and still be the wrong document. An Indian RTO cannot issue the 1968 version, because India is not a party, and no amount of paperwork at home changes that.

The result is blunt. Licence plus Indian IDP gives you no right to drive in Vietnam. A rental counter that hands you keys anyway has not changed the law, only taken your money.

Scooters fall under the same rule

Many Indian visitors assume a two-wheeler is different, since riding one at home is routine. It is not. The licence and permit problem applies to motorbikes and scooters exactly as it does to cars. Vietnam also reorganised its motorbike licence classes in a road traffic law that took effect on 1 January 2025, which is one more reason not to rely on what a rental shop says about engine sizes.

What a crash without a valid licence means

Driving without a recognised licence is not a technicality that only matters at a checkpoint. If you are involved in an accident, the absence of a valid licence can leave you uninsured and facing charges. The medical bills, the other party’s costs and the vehicle damage can all land on you personally. Read what your travel insurance says about unlicensed driving before you assume it will step in.

How Indian visitors get around instead

• A car with a hired driver. The lawful way to do a road trip, and the driver handles the scooter swarm. Agree the route, the daily hours and what the price includes in writing before the first morning; a dispute is easier to avoid than to settle in a language you do not share.
• Taxis and ride-hailing inside Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the coastal towns.
• Trains and domestic flights for the long north-south distances.

If you plan to live in Vietnam rather than visit, the route is a Vietnamese licence, not a permit.

Vietnam’s rules next to India’s

Should you end up driving later with a Vietnamese licence, or simply want to understand what your driver is dealing with, here is how the two systems differ.

Under Circular 38/2024, ordinary two-way urban roads in Vietnam are capped at 50 km/h, rural roads run to 80 and expressways to 120. In the big cities, though, the scooters set a much slower real pace. They move in dense streams, filter up both sides of a car and cross junctions regardless of lane markings. The roads are rated very challenging for this reason.

The alcohol rule deserves a second look. India tolerates 30 mg per 100 ml; Vietnam tolerates nothing. Checkpoints are common and the penalties are steep, including possible imprisonment. That applies to whoever is at the wheel, including a hired driver, so do not offer one a drink with lunch.

Before you go, read the Vietnam driving guide, check other stops on your route with the Driving Permit Checker, and see who pays driving fines abroad.

Sources

• UN Treaty Collection, 1968 Convention on Road Traffic (Viet Nam a party, India not): treaties.un.org
• UN Treaty Collection, 1949 Convention on Road Traffic (India a party): treaties.un.org
• GOV.UK, Vietnam travel advice, road travel (1968 IDP, zero alcohol, accidents): gov.uk
• Government of Viet Nam, Circular 38/2024/TT-BGTVT on speed limits from 1 January 2025: xaydungchinhsach.chinhphu.vn
• India, Motor Vehicles Act, s.185 (30 mg per 100 ml): indiacode.nic.in