Despite some press reports to the contrary Vietnam does recognize the validity of international licenses. Whilst some authorities in remote regions may not be able to comprehend a document written in a foreign language they go a long way in smoothing out any potential difficulties should an issue arise. They also take care of any license requirements that you might have in your insurance polices.

Formally, no license is fully valid in Vietnam, even an international driving licence, as it needs to be officially translated (at Vietnamese Embassies or in Vietnam). The question of having or not a motorbiking driving licence mainly concerns your insurance. On the other hand, if you are working in Vietnam under contract for at least 6 months you could easily get a local driving licence.

Traffic police generally don’t stop Westerners in Vietnam to check licences simply because they don’t speak good English or feel confident to deal with it. In addition, in the same time, they can deal with many other Vietnamese people. Mui Ne in Southern Vietnam has been the only exception where they started checking licences.

Informally, many recent international driving licenses which include Vietnam in the country list are accepted by the traffic police on the road.