Insurance
What you need to know!
You should obtain travel insurance prior to your arrival in Vietnam. As a general
rule, your insurance will not cover any claims resulting from a motorbike
accident if you are found to be in violation of Vietnamese traffic laws. This
means that in addition to not speeding, running red lights, or driving under the
influence of alcohol (ANY alcohol), you must possess either a valid Vietnamese
motorbike license or an International Driving Permit together with a foreign
license that permits you to operate a two-wheeled vehicle with an engine
capacity of at least 110cc. Your International Driving Permit must be obtained
in the same country in which your license was issued.
Vietnam is a signatory to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic and recognition
of IDPs is explicitly codified in Vietnamese law. However, as the law only
covers IDPs issued by countries which are party to the Convention, we strongly
advise you to contact your embassy to determine whether you can legally use an
IDP in Vietnam. The text of the law (in Vietnamese) can be seen here.The
relevant section is Clause 11, which states:
"1. Persons in possession of an International Driving Permit issued by a
country which is signatory to the Vienna Convention must carry their IDP and
a foreign license appropriate to the class of vehicle being driven when
operating a motor vehicle and must obey the traffic laws of Vietnam."
2. In the case that a person's IDP is temporarily revoked for violation of
Vietnamese traffic laws, the time period of the revocation may not exceed
the time period which this person is permitted to stay in Vietnam."