Motorbike Rental Guides
Renting a Motorbike for a Film or Photo Shoot in Hanoi: Permissions to Confirm
About 15 minutes to read
Yes, a rented motorbike can appear in a Hanoi film or photo shoot if the rental operator agrees to that use, but the shop’s agreement settles only one question: whether you may use that particular bike in the way you describe. It cannot make it lawful for an unlicensed model to ride, turn a stunt into a legal manoeuvre on a public street, give you consent from the people in your frame, open a pagoda courtyard or café to your crew, or replace the licence that a foreign film production may need. Before the shoot day, confirm each permission with the party that actually controls it, and keep the rental shop’s answer in writing alongside the others.
This guide summarises Vietnamese legal texts as published when they were checked. It is not legal advice, and requirements change, so confirm the current position with the authority concerned or a qualified adviser before you commit money, people or dates.
Five permissions, five different decision-makers
Most shoot-day problems come from asking the wrong person. A rental operator’s agreement carries no weight with a temple’s management board, a café owner, a passer-by whose face fills the frame or a traffic police officer.
| Question | Who decides | What to hold before the shoot |
|---|---|---|
| May this bike be used as a prop or picture vehicle, with these attachments, for these hours? | The rental operator, under its contract | A written answer that names the bike, the dates and the planned use |
| Who may ride it on public roads? | The law, applied by the operator when it rents | The rider’s valid licence for this class of bike, accepted by the operator |
| How may it be ridden on camera? | Road traffic law | A shot list that stays within the rider and passenger rules |
| May recognisable people appear in the published images? | Each person concerned | Consent, plus agreed payment terms where the use is commercial |
| May we film or park at this place? | The owner or manager of the site; the local authority for public space | Permission from that manager, obtained in advance |
| Does a foreign production need a filming licence? | The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, for films covered by the Law on Cinema | The licence, applied for with a Vietnamese cinema establishment |
What the rental shop can approve, and what to ask it
The rental operator controls its own vehicle and its own contract. Start by describing the shoot plainly rather than asking “Can I take photos with the bike?” A still portrait beside a parked scooter, a moving shot through the Old Quarter, a branded advertisement and a music video put very different demands on the same machine. Tell the operator:
- whether the bike will stay parked as a prop or be ridden, and by whom;
- whether anything will be attached to it, such as a camera clamp, suction mount, small light, reflector arm, banner or decoration, and exactly where and how;
- whether anyone will sit or lean on it for a pose, and whether costumes, shoes, make-up or props could mark the seat and paintwork;
- whether effects such as water spray, smoke, glitter or coloured powder will be used nearby;
- how many hours the bike will be away, including travel to and from each set; and
- where the images will be published, and whether the number plate or any shop branding will be visible.
Ask whether the agreement covers that use, whether any conditions apply, and whether the answer can be added to the contract or confirmed in a message that names the bike and the dates. The site’s guide to checking commercial-use permission for delivery work deals with a different purpose, but the principle carries over: a rental arranged for personal transport is not automatically approved for paid or promotional work, and silence is not consent.
Attachments deserve particular care. A clamp gripping a mirror stem or handlebar, or a suction mount on a painted panel, can scratch, loosen or strain parts that the operator will inspect at return. Agree on the method before fitting anything, test it with the bike stationary, and remove it yourself before hand-back. Do not drill, cut, tape over lights or apply adhesive to bodywork to hide a logo. If the operator says a particular mount is unsuitable for that model, plan the shot another way.
Who may ride the motorbike on camera
Vietnam’s Law on Roads 2024 sets out how self-drive vehicle rental works. A legal question-and-answer item published on 30 June 2026 by Đại biểu Nhân dân, the National Assembly’s newspaper, quotes Article 78 as amended. A self-drive rental business may rent out a vehicle only when the renter holds a valid driving licence, with points remaining, that is appropriate to the vehicle, must not arrange a driver for the renter, and must sign a self-drive rental contract with the renter, accompanied by a photocopy of the renter’s licence. The definition covers mopeds and two- and three-wheeled motorcycles as well as small passenger cars.
A self-drive rental is built around the licensed renter, not around whoever looks best in the frame. If someone other than the renter will ride, raise it with the operator before booking; the site’s guide on sharing a rental bike between licensed riders covers the contract questions. Equally, do not expect the shop to supply someone to ride for the shot, because the same article forbids a self-drive rental business from arranging a driver for the renter.
The traffic law is stricter still. The Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety (Law 36/2024/QH15), whose full text is published by the Nghệ An Provincial Public Administration Service Centre, lists among prohibited acts in Article 9 operating a motor vehicle on the road without a driving licence (clause 1) and handing a motor vehicle to a person who does not meet the legal conditions to drive it (clause 7). If your model has no licence valid for the bike, the model should not ride it on a public road, and the renter should not hand over the key for a quick lap between takes.
A model without a licence can still be photographed with the bike when it is parked and switched off, provided the operator agrees. In that set-up, keep the engine off, the key with a named crew member, the stand down on firm and level ground, and someone beside the bike whenever a person is sitting on it.
Traffic rules that limit moving shots
Some images that look effortless online would breach the rider and passenger rules if staged on an open street. Article 33 of Law 36/2024 is the section to read before writing a shot list for a moving motorbike. Among other things, it says:
- the rider and any passenger must wear a helmet that meets the national technical standard, with the strap fastened correctly (clause 2), so a bare-headed, hair-in-the-wind shot on an open road is not a compliant option;
- a rider may generally carry only one passenger, with limited exceptions such as a child under 12 (clause 1);
- a rider must not ride abreast in a row, ride into the part of the road reserved for pedestrians and other vehicles, use an umbrella or an audio device other than a hearing aid, let go of both handlebars, ride on one wheel, carry bulky objects, sit sideways, stand or lie on the bike, or turn to face backwards while riding (clause 3);
- a passenger must not carry bulky objects, use an umbrella, hold on to, tow or push another vehicle, or stand on the seat or luggage rack or sit on the handlebars (clause 4).
Article 9 adds prohibitions that matter for camera work: holding and using a phone or other electronic device while operating a moving vehicle (clause 6), racing, weaving and continuous revving (clause 5), unlawfully placing obstacles on the road (clause 20) and obstructing people or vehicles (clause 21). A rider should therefore not film handheld while moving, because a camera is an electronic device, and light stands or tripods in a traffic lane are not a neutral piece of kit.
A pillion camera operator is a passenger under these rules. Article 33 does not say what counts as “bulky”, so plan for compact equipment and a stable seated position, and drop any shot that needs the operator to stand, twist round or hold another vehicle. Anything strapped to a luggage rack is also limited by clause 5: no more than 0.3 metres beyond the rack on either side, 0.5 metres behind it, and 2 metres in height measured from the road surface. If a shot genuinely requires something the rules prohibit on public roads, the answer is a controlled private location with the manager’s permission and proper safety planning, not a quiet side street at dawn. For carrying the camera itself, the site’s guide to packing a camera on a rental scooter covers vibration, rain and safe access.
One more rule concerns the plate. Article 9, clause 17, prohibits bending or covering a number plate, altering its characters, colour, shape or size, and riding with a plate that was not issued by the competent state authority. If you or the operator would rather the plate did not appear in published images, crop or blur it in post-production. Do not tape over it or fit a prop plate to a bike that will be ridden on the road.
People in the frame need their own consent
A rental contract says nothing about the people who appear in your pictures. Vietnam’s Civil Code 2015 deals with them directly. Article 32, as reproduced in the Hệ thống Pháp luật legal database, states that individuals have rights over their own image, that using a person’s image requires that person’s consent, and that using someone’s image for commercial purposes requires paying them remuneration unless the parties agree otherwise.
The article lists two situations in which consent is not needed: use in the national, ethnic or public interest, and images taken from public activities such as conferences, seminars, sports competitions and art performances, provided the use does not harm the person’s honour, dignity or reputation. Where an image is used in breach of the article, the person can ask a court to order its withdrawal, destruction and an end to its use, together with compensation.
In practice, get a written release from every model and paid participant that says where and how the images will be used. For passers-by, street vendors, café staff or the rental shop’s own employees, ask before you feature anyone recognisably, especially in material that promotes a product or service. Do not assume that an everyday street scene falls within the public-activities exception. When someone declines, reframe the shot or move on.
Locations: the rental agreement is not a location permit
Every place you film has its own decision-maker. A temple, pagoda, communal house, museum, campus, hotel, café or private home is managed by someone who can say yes, no or yes with conditions. Ask that manager in advance about commercial photography, tripods, lighting, crew size and timing, and ask specifically whether a motorbike may be brought onto the site or parked at its entrance. Many heritage courtyards are not places to ride into, and Article 33 bars riding into the part of the road reserved for pedestrians, so the pavement is not a shortcut to the entrance.
Public streets raise a different question. A crew with lights, stands and a parked hero bike on a narrow lane can amount to the obstruction that Article 9 prohibits. If a set-up will occupy part of a road or pavement, ask the local authority or the site’s manager whether approval is needed, and do not rely on the rental shop’s answer for that. The site’s Hanoi architecture photo route describes a simpler pattern that suits many shoots: park legally once, then walk between frames.
Some places are off limits for photography whatever else you have arranged. The UK government’s travel advice for Vietnam notes restrictions on travel near military bases, tells visitors not to take photos near bases, and says that visiting a village, commune or ward close to the border may require permission from the provincial police department. Keep security installations out of the frame and confirm any border-area travel separately.
Aerial shots are another separate approval. A drone flight is not covered by a rental contract, a model release or a site manager’s agreement, and Article 9, clause 27, of Law 36/2024 prohibits flying a drone within the road clearance in a way that obstructs or endangers road users unless the flight is licensed. Check the current airspace requirements with the competent authority before bringing or flying a drone, and plan a ground-based fallback.
Foreign productions and the Law on Cinema
If the project is a film made by a foreign organisation or individual, there is a further layer. Article 3 of the Law on Cinema 2022 (Law 05/2022/QH15), in the database copy of its definitions, describes a film as a cinematic work of moving images disseminated to viewers, including feature, documentary, science and animated films. It excludes recordings made to disseminate news on broadcast services or online, art performance programmes, video games, and recordings of one or more people’s activities that depict events, situations or reality programmes. A still photo shoot is not a film. Whether a particular vlog, advertisement or music video falls inside the definition is a question for the authority or an adviser, not one to settle by assumption.
Where the law applies, Article 13 of the Law on Cinema sets out the route:
- A foreign organisation or individual producing a film in Vietnam must use film production services provided by a Vietnamese cinema establishment, under a written agreement or contract.
- If those services include filming using locations in Vietnam, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism must issue a licence for providing filming services using locations in Vietnam.
- The dossier includes an application form, a summary script and a detailed script in Vietnamese of the scenes to be shot in Vietnam, the agreement or contract, and a commitment not to breach the law’s prohibitions.
- It can be filed through the National Public Service Portal, by post or in person. The ministry has 20 days from receiving a complete, valid dossier to issue the licence or give its reasons for refusal in writing.
- Changes to the application form, the scripts or the contract after the licence is issued require a fresh application. The law sets a shorter five-working-day period for changes to the form or the contract, but not for script changes.
- The ministry can revoke the licence for breaches of the law’s prohibitions during production, for false information in the dossier, or for not following the licence’s terms.
The application form itself, reproduced in a consolidated ministry circular published on the government portal in September 2026, is addressed to the Cinema Department and asks for the planned filming locations by province or city and the planned filming dates. That level of detail shows what the licence is: an approval for the production, not a booking for a particular street, temple or café, and not a vehicle rental. Book the motorbike for dates that sit inside the licensed window, and ask the operator in advance how it handles a change of dates if approval takes longer than planned.
A message to send the rental shop before you book
A short written message gives the operator what it needs to answer properly and gives you a record. Replace each item in brackets with your own details:
We would like to rent (model) for a (still photo or video) shoot on (date), from (start time) to (end time), at (locations). The bike will be (parked as a prop only, or ridden by the renter, who holds a licence valid for this bike). We would like to attach (describe the mount) to (position) using (method), and will remove it before return. Nobody will stand on the bike. The images will be published on (channels), and the plate (will be blurred, or may be visible). Is this use permitted under your rental agreement, and are there conditions we should follow?
Keep the reply with the contract, and copy any conditions onto the shot list so the whole crew sees them. If you are planning a shoot with Thuê xe máy Nguyễn Hà, the shop is at Ngõ 5 Nguyễn Văn Cừ, Bồ Đề, Long Biên, Hà Nội (near Gia Lâm bus station), open 09:00–21:00 daily, and can be reached on 0334 699 969 (+84 334 699 969). Ask before booking; this article does not state that any particular shoot will be approved.
Shoot-day and return checklist
- At pickup, record the bike’s condition with the operator before anything is attached; the site’s handover damage shot list shows what to capture.
- Confirm that whoever rides holds a licence valid for this bike and carries the documents the operator requires.
- Fit only the attachments that were agreed, then check them with the bike stationary and the engine off.
- Keep the key with one named crew member whenever the bike is parked as a prop.
- Stay within the rider and passenger rules for every moving shot, and drop any shot that needs more.
- Carry location permissions, releases and, where relevant, the production licence separately from the rental paperwork.
- Remove mounts, tape residue and props, and look for new scratches before returning the bike.
- If the shoot is overrunning, contact the operator before the agreed return time, not after it.
Shoots can overrun. At Thuê xe máy Nguyễn Hà, hourly extensions cost 20,000 VND per hour, and more than 6 hours is charged as one rental day; agree on the revised return time with the shop. Other operators set their own terms, so confirm them in advance.
Frequently asked questions
Can a model without a driving licence pose on a rental motorbike?
On a parked bike with the engine off, that is a matter for the rental operator’s consent and basic safety. Riding it on a public road is different: Article 9 of Law 36/2024 prohibits operating a motor vehicle without a driving licence and handing one to a person who does not meet the legal conditions to drive it.
Does the rental shop’s permission cover filming in the Old Quarter or at a pagoda?
No. The operator can only approve the use of its own bike. Each site’s manager decides whether you may film there, and a set-up that occupies public space may need approval from the relevant authority.
Do I need a ministry licence for a short video shot in Hanoi?
The licence in Article 13 of the Law on Cinema applies to foreign organisations and individuals producing films, as that law defines them, using locations in Vietnam. Recordings of events, reality content and news are excluded from the definition. If you are unsure whether your project counts as a film, ask the Cinema Department or a qualified adviser before filming.
Can I cover the number plate so it does not appear on camera?
Not on a bike that is being ridden on the road, because Article 9 prohibits covering or altering number plates. Crop or blur the plate in post-production instead, and tell the operator how its bike will appear.
