A tourist’s minimum traffic fine in Vietnam is 200,000 VND ($8); the ceiling is 40,000,000 VND ($1,540) for drunk driving on a car. Starting January 2025, Decree 168/2024 multiplied most fines 6 to 30 times compared to the old rules. If you rent a bike in Da Nang, Hoi An, or Nha Trang in 2026, the rules below decide whether your trip stays cheap or turns into a $300 lesson.

What Decree 168/2024 actually changed

Vietnam scrapped the old Decree 100/2019 and replaced it with 168/2024. The legal text became fully active on May 15, 2026 — the previous rules no longer exist. The new fines for bike riders:

  • Running a red light: was 300-500k VND, now 4-6 million (jumped 6x)
  • Riding on the sidewalk: was 400-600k, now 4-6 million (10x)
  • Phone in your hand while riding: 800k-1 million VND plus 4 demerit points
  • No helmet: 400-600k VND
  • Missing left mirror: 400-600k VND
  • Wrong-way driving: 4-6 million VND plus 4 points
  • Carrying a child older than 6 on your lap: now 8-10 million VND (was 200-300k, up 30x)

The decree introduced a 12-point demerit system. Vietnamese license holders lose points per violation; lose all 12 and your license is revoked until you re-take the exam.

Vietnam traffic police checkpoint Decree 168

The demerit system doesn’t apply to you — and why that’s both good and bad

Foreign drivers using an IDP (International Driving Permit) aren’t tracked in the 12-point system. So you can’t accumulate points and lose your license long-term.

But there’s a trap. For serious violations — running a red light, speeding over 20 km/h, alcohol, riding on the sidewalk — police take your license on the spot and impound your bike at the station. To get either back, you go to the police station, pay the fine at a bank, and bring the receipt. That’s a half-day minimum in a city you don’t know.

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When a cop pulls you over: four steps that save money

I’ve been stopped at random checkpoints twice in Da Nang — both routine document checks after 10 PM. A friend was stopped near Hoi An for sidewalk riding. What worked across all three:

1. Stop, kill the engine, take off your sunglasses. Body language reads as cooperation before words do.

2. Hand over both your national license and your IDP together. Either one alone is invalid in Vietnam. If you only brought a national license, mention it’s a rental and the rental shop has the bike papers — police usually escalate this to the shop, not you.

3. Ask if there’s an official ticket. The Vietnamese phrase is “biên bản” (receipt/protocol). If you ask for one, the encounter often shifts from informal negotiation to a real fine you can pay at a bank. Sometimes it ends right there because the officer doesn’t want the paperwork.

4. Don’t pay anything cash without a receipt. Locals do “settle on the spot” — for them it’s faster. For tourists, this is where you get charged 2-3x the actual fine. A documented Decree 168 fine is paid at a bank within 7 days.

Real cases I’ve seen in Da Nang this year

A backpacker on Bach Dang Street, January: caught riding without a helmet at midnight near a bar. Negotiated to 300,000 VND ($12) cash. Official fine: 400-600k. He paid roughly the lower bound, no receipt — a reasonable outcome.

A Russian couple on Hoi An’s An Bang beach road, March: phone in hand while riding, caught by a traffic camera. They got a notification at the rental shop three days later. Official fine 800k each — paid through the rental, no negotiation possible since it was a camera fine.

A nomad near My Khe, April: 0.18 mg/L alcohol after one beer with dinner. Bike impounded, license taken. Cost him 2.5 million VND plus a half-day at the District 3 station. He still talks about it.

Vietnamese dong banknotes traffic fine amount

Alcohol: Vietnam has zero tolerance

This is the rule that catches Western tourists most often, because back home a single beer with food is normal. In Vietnam, any measurable alcohol equals a fine.

Bike rider fines by breath alcohol concentration:

  • Up to 0.25 mg/L: 2-3 million VND plus 4 points
  • 0.25 to 0.4 mg/L: 6-8 million VND plus 10 points
  • Above 0.4 mg/L: 8-10 million VND plus license suspension

One craft beer at a brewery on the Han River puts an average European male at roughly 0.2-0.3 mg/L. If you’re drinking, take a Grab — it costs 50-80,000 VND back to most hotels, cheaper than any breathalyzer outcome.

IDP international driving permit motorcycle Vietnam

What to carry, what to check

Before your first ride:

  • National driving license with category A (motorcycles over 50cc) or M (scooters under 50cc)
  • IDP (the new format, valid for one year)
  • Helmet — wear it every single time, even to the corner shop
  • A photo of the bike registration on your phone (ask the rental shop)
  • Translation of license category page if you don’t have an IDP — last-resort only
Motorbike helmet rental bench Vietnam

If your trip is in 2026 and you haven’t booked anything yet, our team handles the airport pickup, the visa paperwork, and bike rental recommendations door-to-door. Reach out below: