Renting a Motorbike in Vietnam: The Complete Practical Guide

The paperwork nobody cares about (officially)

Technically, you need a Vietnamese driving license or an International Driving Permit to rent and ride a motorbike in Vietnam. In practice, rental shops rarely check, police stops rarely result in serious consequences for foreign tourists on small automatic scooters, and the vast majority of travelers who rent bikes in Vietnam never deal with any licensing issue. — book via Kiwi.com for the best deal.

This is not me recommending you ride without the right documentation — it’s acknowledging the reality on the ground in 2025. If you plan to ride and have an IDP, bring it. If you don’t, assess your own risk tolerance.

What to rent and where

For most Vietnam tourism riding, a 110–125cc automatic scooter is ideal — easy to ride, economical on fuel, widely available. Rental cost: 120,000–180,000 VND/day in most cities and tourist towns. In Hoi An, the rental shops on Tran Cao Van Street have good reputations. In Hanoi, shops near the Old Quarter are densest; Hanoi has more traffic so be honest about whether city riding is what you want.

Semi-automatic Honda Win bikes (older, manual-ish) are popular for longer touring — they’re cheaper to repair in rural areas because every roadside mechanic knows them. Rent automatic for cities and tourist areas; semi-automatic if you’re doing the mountain roads.

The inspection ritual

Before you take the bike, photograph every scratch, dent, and mark on the vehicle from multiple angles while the rental shop owner is present. This protects you from being charged for pre-existing damage on return. A few minutes spent on this eliminates potential arguments later.

Fuel and maintenance

Fill up when you see a petrol station — don’t rely on finding one when you need it in rural areas. Small blue plastic drums of petrol appear at roadside stalls in remote areas at slightly inflated prices (10,000–15,000 VND/liter vs normal 25,000 VND). If you get a puncture (flat tires are common on Vietnam roads), roadside puncture repair shops are incredibly common — usually 20,000–30,000 VND to fix.