Rules for overlanding in Vietnam

Our summary of the country advice published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Viaggiare Sicuri) on 6 September 2026.

Which licence you need

All vehicles — Only an International Driving Permit on the Vienna Convention model lets you drive, always carried with your Italian licence and valid for the specific category of vehicle you intend to drive; check what applies to the licence you hold. Driving without a valid licence carries very severe penalties, including prison where a crash kills or seriously injures someone. With a residence visa of at least 3 months you can instead convert an Italian licence into a Vietnamese one, a paid procedure at the Vietnamese motor vehicle offices that takes about 5 working days; an international permit cannot be issued inside Vietnam.
Motorcycle — Renting a scooter relaxes none of this: on motorcycle rental the ministry points straight back to its licence section and to the severe penalties for riding without a valid licence.

An International Driving Permit states the categories it covers: check yours covers what you will actually drive. A car licence does not cover a motorcycle, and a heavy camper or a truck can need a higher category.

At the wheel

Foreign vehicle escort — Bringing a foreign vehicle in is tightly regulated. The authorisation must be started through an authorised international travel agency roughly 2 months before your planned entry, the fees can be heavy, and the whole route from entry to exit must be driven with escort vehicles, coordinated by the agency that handled the paperwork.
30-day vehicle limit — A foreign vehicle may stay a maximum of 30 days in the country, extendable by 10 days in a case of force majeure.
Insurance — You must hold insurance covering road accidents.
Alcohol — 0.05% for motorcyclists and 0% for every other driver. The 2025 road traffic and order law raised the administrative penalties and allows licence suspension. If drink-driving causes a crash there can be criminal liability and prison, plus an obligation to stay in the country until the local proceedings end.
Helmets and seatbelts — Helmets are compulsory for motorcyclists and their passengers from age 6, and for anyone on an electric bicycle. Seatbelts are compulsory in the front seats.
Roads — Traffic drives on the right. Crashes are frequent because the road network is in poor condition, traffic is very dense and basic rules of conduct are ignored. The ministry says driving at night is particularly dangerous and should be avoided.
Renting a moped — Crashes involving Westerners on mopeds are frequent: keep your speed very low and in line with local traffic, which does not behave like European traffic. There have been rental scams, so use a reliable agency with proper paperwork, ideally including theft cover, and never leave your passport as a deposit. Cars can only be rented with a driver.

What catches travellers out

Drugs — Use carries 3 months to 5 years in prison, facilitating use up to 20 years for large quantities, and the worst international trafficking cases carry the death penalty. Anti-drug checks in bars, clubs and other venues have increased sharply along with arrests of foreigners, and the rules are applied with maximum rigidity and no exceptions for non-residents.
Vapes — Carrying, using, distributing or selling e-cigarettes, vaping devices and vaping liquids is banned. Offenders face heavy fines or prison.
Customs — Cash over USD 5,000 or 15 million VND must be declared, as must precious metals, jewellery, cameras and electronic equipment. Baggage can be inspected without notice or authorisation. Customs may seize documents, tapes, discs and books judged political, religious or pornographic, and importing any weapon, weapon part or ammunition is prohibited.
Crossing into neighbours — For taking a vehicle bought or rented in Vietnam into China, Laos or Cambodia, the ministry says to ask those countries' embassies in Italy and the Italian embassies there for the details before you go.

Before you rely on this

This is our summary of advice written by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Italian travellers, published on 6 September 2026. We summarise in good faith, but we cannot guarantee it is accurate, current or complete, and we take no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of it. Rules change without notice and are applied by officials at the border, not by websites. Always read the original source and the travel advice your own government publishes for Vietnam before you travel. GuideMeet has no way of checking whether an individual guide meets any standard mentioned here — ask them directly.

Source: Viaggiare Sicuri — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updated 6 September 2026. Last checked by GuideMeet on 2026-09-20.