Emergency Numbers in Vietnam for Motorbike Riders: 113, 114, 115 and What to Tell the Operator

The UK, Australian and Canadian governments all list Vietnam’s emergency numbers the same way: 113 for police, 114 for fire and 115 for an ambulance. Two things complicate this for a rider. The UK and Australian governments say the lines are Vietnamese-only, and the three numbers are being merged into one 113 number on a timetable that gives no date for Hanoi in particular. This article sets out what official sources give on the numbers, what to tell the operator and what follows a crash. The sources say nothing about a plain breakdown with no crash or injury.

The numbers to save before you ride

The UK government (page shows no date), Smartraveller (updated 24 September 2026) and the Government of Canada (updated 19 October 2026) list the same three. The UK page also lists 112 as national search and rescue and 111 as a child-protection hotline. The Dien Bien page, which shows no date, says calls made within the same area are dialled without an area code and that calls to emergency numbers are free under the telecom law but should be used only for genuine emergencies.

Where 112 fits

A Chinhphu.vn explainer (page shows 1 July 2026) says a national emergency exchange, 112, began operating on 23 August 2025 under Decree 200/2025/ND-CP. It takes reports of incidents, disasters, accidents and urgent situations around the clock, connects callers to the provincial military command and passes matters that belong to 113, 114 or 115 on to those exchanges. It also says calls to 112 from fixed and mobile subscribers are free. The Dien Bien page instead describes 112 as covering natural disasters such as storms, floods and landslides and river or sea incidents. The Chinhphu.vn page says 112 takes reports of accidents and that people can dial it in any emergency, but it does not mention road crashes specifically. For a crash, the Dien Bien page points to 113 for reporting traffic accidents and 115 for accidents and serious injuries.

What to expect when you call

The UK government says the emergency numbers are operated in Vietnamese only and advises taking a translator when reporting a crime to the local police, and getting a police report. Smartraveller adds that the lines may be unreliable, that there may be a long wait before services arrive, and that cases reported by foreigners may be accepted at the discretion of local police. Canada says, in general advice not specific to crash injuries, that ambulance response may be slow in traffic and that a taxi or private vehicle to hospital is an option rather than waiting.

What to tell the operator

Officials ask callers to supply a short list of items. The Ninh Binh provincial police, in an item on the Ministry of Public Security portal dated 3 September 2026, ask callers to stay calm and give full, accurate information on the location, what happened and how dangerous the situation is, so the right forces and vehicles can be sent. For 112, the Government decree lists the caller’s name, the time and place of the incident, how it developed, its extent and whether it may spread, and the help requested. Put together, these two sources point to this list:

• Where the rider is, as exactly as possible.
• What happened and when.
• How dangerous the situation is, and whether it is still developing.
• The caller’s name and the help needed.

After a crash

The Bach Ngoc commune portal in Nghe An, on a page dated 19 May 2026, tabulates fines applying from 2025 under Decree 168/2024/ND-CP. In its motorbike section, causing a traffic accident and then not stopping at once, not keeping the scene as it is, not helping the injured, not staying or not reporting at once to the nearest police or People’s Committee is listed at 8 to 10 million VND (6 to 8 million before). That is one row of a summary, not the decree text.

The UK government warns that a traveller in an accident could face criminal charges and may have to pay compensation to injured people even if the injuries are minor, with a possible travel ban during the investigation. It says foreign nationals have been stopped from leaving Vietnam until police finished investigating and have been asked to agree out-of-court financial settlements, and advises British nationals to get professional legal advice, offer the police full co-operation and inform the British Embassy in Hanoi or the Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City. Smartraveller says charges are possible regardless of who is at fault; Canada adds a travel ban until compensation is paid. For what the compulsory liability insurance certificate covers, see Compulsory Motorbike Liability Insurance in Vietnam: What the Certificate Covers and What a Renter Should Check.

A planned change to 113

The Ministry of Public Security’s Plan 642 of 7 August 2026, described in the Ninh Binh item above, implements a project to merge 113, 114 and 115 into one 113 number in two phases. Phase 1, until 2027, merges the numbers into one 113 number used nationwide and places it at the command information centres of the police of 34 provinces and cities. Phase 2, 2027 to 2028, reviews the result after six months to a year before a 113 centre is built. The item speaks of preparing for the launch.

VnExpress, a national newspaper, reported on 17 April 2026 that ministries were drafting the project and that 113 was expected to take all emergency calls nationwide from the third quarter. The later Ninh Binh item (3 September 2026) describes a first phase running until 2027, and none of the sources checked says the switch has taken place, so the timetables do not clearly match. A Tuyen Quang commune portal notice of 10 August 2026 says that while the province’s technical integration is unfinished, people there can still dial 113, 114 and 115 and calls are routed to 113. No source gives a switch date for Hanoi in particular or says what happens to 114 and 115 there in the meantime, so check the current number before relying on one.

Before you ride, and what the sources leave out

The Dien Bien police recommend saving emergency contacts in the phone under clear labels. The UK government advises contacting your insurer if you are involved in a serious incident and telling a friend or family member your insurer and policy number; Smartraveller says an insurer should have a 24-hour emergency number. For a plain breakdown, the sources give no roadside-assistance number or procedure, and they give no response times, no Vietnamese wording for the call and no confirmed English-language line or interpreter service. See Motorbike Maintenance & Breakdown Support in Hanoi, and on tyres Motorbike Tyre Pressure for Rental Riders: Read the Manufacturer Label.

Sources checked

• GOV.UK (FCDO), Vietnam “Getting help” page, no date shown. UK getting-help advice
• GOV.UK (FCDO), Vietnam “Safety and security” page, no date shown. UK safety advice
• Smartraveller (Australian Government), updated 24 September 2026. Smartraveller Vietnam advice
• Government of Canada, updated 19 October 2026. Canada Vietnam advice
• Chinhphu.vn explainer on Decree 200/2025/ND-CP, page date 1 July 2026. Chinhphu.vn on the 112 exchange
• Ministry of Public Security portal, Ninh Binh police item, 3 September 2026. Ninh Binh police on the 113 merger
• Dien Bien provincial police portal, no date shown. Dien Bien summary of emergency numbers
• Bach Ngoc commune portal, Nghe An, 19 May 2026. Bach Ngoc page on 14 new traffic rules
• VnExpress, 17 April 2026. VnExpress on a shared 113 number
• Tan Tien commune portal, Tuyen Quang, 10 August 2026. Tuyen Quang notice on integrating the numbers

Thuê xe máy Nguyễn Hà is open 09:00–21:00 daily at Ngõ 5 Nguyễn Văn Cừ, Bồ Đề, Long Biên, Hà Nội (near Gia Lâm bus station). Phone: 0334 699 969.