Vietnam Motorbike Travel Insurance: What You Need to Know

Quick summary for busy readers:

• Riding anything over 50cc in Vietnam without a valid licence is illegal for foreigners, and it directly affects your travel insurance too, since most policies only cover you if you’re legally licensed to ride in the country you’re riding in.
• New Zealand only issues International Driving Permits under the 1949 Geneva Convention, whereas Vietnam only recognises IDPs issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention, so a standard New Zealand IDP won’t make it legal to ride there.
• Your realistic options are converting an existing motorcycle licence to a Vietnamese one or sitting the Vietnamese driving test if you don’t already hold one.
• Even once you’re legally licensed, standard exclusions regarding travel insurance still apply. Racing, riding without a helmet, riding under the influence, and damage to the bike itself are generally not covered.

 

Vietnam is one of the best countries in the world to explore by motorbike. Sadly, it’s also one of the easiest places to accidentally end up riding illegally without realising it.

The rules in Vietnam are much stricter than a lot of other popular riding destinations, and they catch plenty of Kiwis off guard, especially when it comes to licensing. Get it wrong and you’re not just risking a fine, you’re risking your travel insurance too!

Read on for everything you need to know about riding a motorbike in Vietnam, including what it means for your travel insurance, so you’re not caught out.

Can I use my New Zealand motorcycle licence in Vietnam?

Not on its own. Normally, an International Driving Permit (IDP) lets you ride the same class of vehicle overseas that you’re licensed for at home. But Vietnam is one of the exceptions to that rule.

New Zealand issues IDPs under the 1949 Geneva Convention, since that’s the convention New Zealand is actually a signatory to. Vietnam, however, only officially recognises IDPs issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention. Because of that mismatch, a standard New Zealand-issued IDP isn’t valid for riding in Vietnam, even though it works in over 150 other countries.

So what are your actual options? Realistically, there are two paths:

1. Convert your existing licence to a Vietnamese one. If your New Zealand licence already covers motorcycles, you may be able to convert it to a Vietnamese equivalent without sitting a test. This generally involves getting your licence translated and notarised, then submitting it to Vietnam’s Department of Construction. Processing times and specific document requirements are subject to change, so it’s worth checking directly with them or the New Zealand Embassy before you travel.
2. Sit the Vietnamese driving test. If you don’t already hold a motorcycle licence, you’ll need to pass Vietnam’s local theory and practical test to get a Vietnamese licence. We should warn you though that the theory test is conducted in Vietnamese, not English.

Both routes take real time to organise, so this isn’t something you want to be sorting out the week before you fly. If you’re short on time or can’t meet the requirements for either option, riding a bike over 50cc in Vietnam simply isn’t a legal option for you on that trip (and if you risk it and something goes wrong, your travel insurance will not cover you).

Do you need insurance to ride a bike in Vietnam?

Travel insurance isn’t a legal requirement to ride a motorbike in Vietnam, but riding without it is a genuinely bad idea. If something does go wrong, travel insurance will cover emergency medical treatment, hospital costs and evacuation – expenses that can be seriously high if you’re injured overseas without cover.

Of course, plenty of travellers purchase travel insurance for Vietnam but void it without even realising. How? Well, most travel insurance policies only cover you to ride a motorbike overseas if you hold a licence that’s valid in the country you’re riding in.

Given New Zealand IDPs are not recognised in Vietnam, if you ride without a legally recognised licence, you’re not just breaking local law, you’re very likely riding completely uninsured too.

Other things that you need to consider to make sure your travel insurance covers you while riding a motorbike in Vietnam include:

• Insurers typically apply their own engine size limits regardless of what your licence allows, so it’s worth checking that detail in the Policy Wording specifically before riding.
• Cover generally won’t apply if you’re racing, riding competitively, deliberately taking risks or not wearing a helmet.
• Damage to or theft of the bike itself generally isn’t covered either (rental companies usually build their own cover into the hire cost instead).
• Riding under the influence of alcohol or drugs will also void a claim.

For a full breakdown of what motorbike travel insurance does and doesn’t cover, head to our motorbike travel insurance guide.

Vietnam motorbike safety tips:

Vietnam’s roads are very different from New Zealand’s. Here are a few safety tips so you know what to expect.

• Stay alert, always. Give way rules, traffic lights and lane discipline don’t work quite the same way in Vietnam as they do at home. Riding defensively and expecting the unexpected will serve you far better than assuming other road users will follow the rules you’re used to.
• Bring or hire a genuinely good helmet. The helmet that comes with a cheap bike rental isn’t always up to the safety standard you’d expect in New Zealand. It’s definitely worth paying a bit more for proper protection; it could save your life in the unfortunate event of an accident.
• Never ride under the influence. Beyond the obvious safety risk, an accident involving alcohol or drugs will void your travel insurance, regardless of who was at fault.
• Take it slow. Unfamiliar roads, unpredictable traffic and the occasional pothole make speed a genuinely bad idea. Riding a little slower gives you more time to react (and more time to actually take in the gorgeous scenery).
• Stick to the recommended number of passengers. It’s common to see entire families and cargo piled onto a single bike in Vietnam, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe or that your insurance will cover you if you follow suit. Exceeding your bike’s recommended passenger limit can void your cover if something goes wrong.

Final tip: Before you head off, it’s also worth calling your travel insurance provider directly to confirm the specifics of your policy for riding in Vietnam. Licensing rules are much stricter there than most other destinations, so it always pays to check rather than assume.