Licences & Legal Eligibility
Motorbikes and Hanoi’s BRT Bus Lane: Read the Signs and Paint Before Changing Lanes
About 4 minutes to read
A lane with its own paint, emptier than the lanes beside it, is tempting in Hanoi traffic. Can a motorbike enter the bus rapid transit (BRT) lane, and how do you recognise that lane before changing into it? This guide reads Article 13 of Law 36/2024/QH15, Hanoi pages about the BRT 01 route and the September 2026 notices for the Lang Ha – Giang Vo section.
The general rule: a lane reserved for one type of vehicle
The national legal database vbpl.vn marks the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety (Law 36/2024/QH15) as in force from 1 January 2025. Article 13(4) says that on a lane reserved for one type or group of vehicles, drivers of other vehicles must not enter that lane.
Signs first, then paint
| Signal | What the text says | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| Road signs | Ranked before road markings in the order of obedience | Law 36/2024/QH15, Article 11(2) |
| Road markings | Show how lanes are divided, position or direction of travel, and where to stop | Article 11(6) |
| Fixed and temporary signs | Where the two differ, follow the temporary sign | Article 11(12) |
| Sign R.412e, ‘Lane for buses’ | Broken line: other vehicles may enter but must give priority to buses and move out of their way. Solid line: other vehicles must not enter | 2024 national regulation on road signs, section D.14(a) |
The same section of the 2024 regulation adds the letters ‘BRT’ to sign R.412a for BRT lanes. The broken-line rule is a condition attached to one specific sign; it is not a right to enter any BRT lane because one stretch of paint is broken.
A Hanoi legal-information page from 2022 reported the city transport department saying that BRT 01 has sections with a reserved lane and sections shared with other traffic, with paint plus hard separators at three junctions. In September 2026 the picture changed for one section:
- 15 September 2026: Nhan Dan newspaper, citing the Hanoi Department of Construction’s plan, wrote that vehicles were allowed into the BRT lane from No. 8 Lang Ha to the area of the Tran Huy Lieu junction and in the opposite direction, from 15 September 2026 until further notice.
- 16 September 2026: the O Cho Dua ward police described the same section as open to motor vehicles. Article 34(1) of the law places motorcycles and mopeds among motor vehicles.
- 23 September 2026: the department adjusted the junction plan after an inspection on 17 September; its page shows only a summary.
The permission is tied to one section and one period. This guide does not know whether it still stands, or has changed, after 23 September 2026.
If you are not sure a lane is open to motorbikes
- Look for a sign before the point where you would change lanes, including temporary signs (Article 11(12)).
- Read the paint: solid or broken, with or without a hard separator.
- If you are still unsure, stay in the general lane (our suggestion).
What not to do
Do not follow the vehicle ahead into the lane. This is our suggestion: a lane can be opened on one section and for one period, so other vehicles using it tells you nothing about the stretch in front of you. Riders on small bikes can also read 50cc scooters on faster roads: speed gaps, bridges and routes.
What the pages leave out
No page read for this guide gives the article, clause or fine for entering a reserved lane, so this guide quotes no fine. No page says whether the Lang Ha – Giang Vo permission is unchanged after 23 September 2026.
Sources checked
- Law 36/2024/QH15 on vbpl.vn (marked in force, updated 29 March 2026)
- 2024 national technical regulation on road signs (PDF), section D.14
- Hanoi legal-information page, 24 June 2022: proposal on the BRT lane
- Hanoi Department of Construction, 15 September 2026
The Vietnamese version of this guide lists every page with its date.
Questions to ask the shop about routes and lanes
Ask whether your planned route passes a section with a BRT lane and which notice to read before you ride. Ask how to reach the shop when you are unsure about a lane. Nguyen Ha’s phone number is 0334 699 969, and the shop in Long Bien is open 09:00–21:00.
