Is a US, Australian or Canadian IDP valid in Vietnam?

This catches more nomads than any visa rule. The IDP you bought at AAA, the Australian motoring club or CAA is a real document, but it is the wrong treaty.

Two conventions, one recognised

There are two international driving permit systems. The 1949 Geneva Convention permit is what the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea issue. The 1968 Vienna Convention permit is issued by most of Europe, plus countries such as Brazil, South Africa and the Philippines. Vietnam acceded to the 1968 convention on 20 August 2014 and, under Circular 29/2015/TT-BGTVT, honours only 1968 permits, carried together with the original national licence. The United Nations treaty record confirms that the United States, Australia and Canada are not parties to the 1968 convention, so their governments cannot issue a permit Vietnam accepts.

What Vietnam does accept

1. A national licence plus a 1968 Vienna Convention IDP showing the right category (A for motorcycles over 50cc), in English or with a Vietnamese translation
2. A licence from an ASEAN member state (Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Brunei, Timor-Leste), directly, without an IDP
3. A Vietnamese licence obtained by conversion or by taking the test

Conversion requires a permanent residence card or a temporary residence card valid for more than three months, a certified translation of your licence, identity documents and a medical certificate. That rules out anyone on an e-visa. Scooters under 50cc need no licence at all, but almost every rental in Da Nang is 110 to 150cc.

What happens if you ride anyway

Under Decree 168/2024, as amended by Decree 238/2026 from 15 August 2026, riding without a valid licence costs VND 2 to 4 million for a motorbike up to 125cc and VND 6 to 8 million above that, plus seizure of the bike for up to seven working days in the standard case. The rental shop that handed it over is fined VND 8 to 10 million as an individual owner, or VND 16 to 20 million if it operates as a registered company. Point deductions do not apply to foreign licence holders, but the bigger risk is insurance: travel and health policies routinely refuse motorbike claims when the rider had no legally recognised licence, and a hospital transfer to Ho Chi Minh City is expensive.

Realistic options

Use Grab bikes and cars, which are cheap; ride only if you hold a 1968 permit or an ASEAN licence; or, if you have a residence card, convert. Our setting up in Vietnam guide has the conversion checklist, and the founders' IDP post explains why we stopped renting.