Can an Indian Drive in Vietnam? — IDP Required, Zero Alcohol & a Side Switch

Vietnam rewards a road trip — the coast road to Hoi An, the northern mountains around Ha Giang — but it is one of the more demanding places an Indian visitor can drive, and the paperwork is unusually strict. Get the permit right first.

The verdict: you need the right IDP

You can drive in Vietnam, but your Indian licence alone is not enough. Vietnam accepts the 1968 Vienna Convention International Driving Permit, so you must carry that specific IDP with your licence and passport — a foreign licence without it is not directly recognised, and rental companies and police will check. A motorbike over 50cc, popular as it is here, legally requires a Vietnamese licence, so a car on the correct IDP is the cleaner route. Arrange the permit in India before you fly.

Zero alcohol, and a real side switch

The alcohol limit is an absolute 0.0 — there is no margin at all, checkpoints are common, and penalties are steep. Treat any drink and driving as completely separate activities. On top of that, India drives on the left and Vietnam on the right, so you have a side switch to manage as well.

Why the traffic itself is the challenge

Vietnam’s roads are rated very challenging, and the reason is the scooters. They move in dense, fluid streams, filter up both sides, and cross junctions in ways that ignore lane markings. Speeds are modest on paper — 50 km/h urban, 80 rural, up to 120 on expressways — but in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City your real speed is dictated by the swarm around you. Go slowly, signal early, and never assume a gap is safe. Fuel runs around $0.95/litre, and the police emergency number is 113.

See the full rules on our Vietnam driving guide, confirm the strict permit requirement with the Driving Permit Checker, and read who pays driving fines abroad before you go.