Can a British Licence Holder Drive in Vietnam? — IDP Required, Zero Alcohol

Vietnam is one of the harder countries in this guide to self-drive, and for a British visitor the honest advice starts with the licence rule, because getting it wrong makes any insurance claim worthless. The road culture is the second hurdle, and it is a real one.

The verdict for British licence holders

You cannot rely on your UK licence alone — Vietnam requires an International Driving Permit issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention. This matters because the UK issues two kinds of IDP and only the 1968 version is recognised here; ask the Post Office specifically for it. A 1949 IDP, which suits some other destinations, will not make you legal in Vietnam. Carry the 1968 IDP with your British licence and passport.

Alcohol is zero, and enforced

Vietnam runs a 0.0 drink-drive limit — a flat ban, not a low threshold — and police enforce it with roadside breath testing. There is no “one beer” allowance the way there effectively is at home. If you drive, do not drink at all.

The traffic is the real challenge

This is rated very challenging driving, and the reason is the motorbikes: cities move in dense, fluid swarms of scooters that fill every gap, intersections flow more by negotiation than by signal, and a UK driver also has to manage the switch to the right-hand side of the road. Add monsoon flooding and variable rural surfaces and you get a place where many visitors quite sensibly hire a car with a local driver instead.

If you do drive, town limits are 50 km/h, rural roads 80 km/h and the newer expressways 120 km/h. Fuel is around $0.95 a litre, and Vietnam’s emergency police number is 113. We have no verified fixed-fine figure for low-level speeding, so this page won’t quote one — pay any penalty against an official receipt.

Before you decide to drive

Confirm exactly which IDP you need with the Driving Permit Checker, read the full country notes on our Vietnam driving guide, and if a penalty does land on your hire, the Driving Fines Abroad — Who Pays guide explains how it reaches you through the rental company.