Vietnam Driving Licence Classes A1 and A Explained for Motorbike Renters Under the 2025 Rules

Since 1 January 2025, Vietnam sorts two-wheel motorcycle licences by a single number: 125. A class A1 licence covers a two-wheel motorcycle with an engine up to 125 cm³, or an electric motor rated up to 11 kW. A class A licence covers anything above those limits and also everything A1 covers. A third class, B1, is for three-wheel motorcycles and again includes the A1 vehicles. Those three definitions come from Law 36/2024/QH15 on Road Traffic Order and Safety, and they are the first thing to check against the engine size of any bike you plan to rent in Hanoi. This guide explains where each line sits, what happened to the older A1 and A2 licences, and how to match a licence class to a rental bike before you pay.

The three motorcycle classes under Law 36/2024

The Government’s policy portal lists the licence classes that took effect on 1 January 2025 in its article “Từ 1/1/2025, có những hạng Giấy phép lái xe nào?”. For motorcycles, the relevant classes are:

• Class A1: two-wheel motorcycles with a cylinder capacity up to 125 cm³, or an electric motor with power up to 11 kW.
• Class A: two-wheel motorcycles with a cylinder capacity above 125 cm³, or an electric motor above 11 kW, plus every vehicle an A1 licence covers.
• Class B1: three-wheel motorcycles, plus every vehicle an A1 licence covers.

The same portal page notes that a person with a disability who rides a three-wheel motorcycle designed for that purpose is issued a class A1 licence. The list is nested: a class A holder can ride an A1 bike, but an A1 holder cannot legally ride a bike that needs class A.

A provincial government summary from Nghệ An, “14 quy định mới về giao thông áp dụng từ 01/01/2025”, places these three classes inside the wider picture. Under the new law the full licence system has 15 classes (A1, A, B1, B, C1, C, D1, D2, D, BE, C1E, CE, D1E, D2E and DE), compared with the older set that included A1, A2, A3 and A4 for motorcycles and small tractors. The same page states that the motorcycle classes A1, A and B1 are issued without an expiry date, which is unchanged from the old A1, A2 and A3 licences.

Why 125 cm³ and 11 kW matter to a renter

The old motorcycle threshold was 175 cm³: the Nghệ An summary explains that the previous A1 covered motorcycles from 50 cm³ to under 175 cm³, while A2 covered 175 cm³ and above. The new law moves the line down to 125 cm³ for licences issued from 2025 onward, and adds an electric-motor equivalent for the first time. In practice, a rider holding a freshly issued A1 who picks up a petrol bike above 125 cm³ is riding outside their licence class, even though that same bike would have been fine on the old A1. The electric line works the same way: a scooter whose motor is rated above 11 kW needs class A.

What happens to licences issued before 2025

If you already hold a Vietnamese motorcycle licence from before 1 January 2025, the thresholds on your card did not shrink overnight. The Government portal’s companion article, “Hiệu lực sử dụng của giấy phép lái xe được cấp trước 1/1/2025”, sets out the transitional rule: a licence issued before the law took effect continues to be used for the term printed on it, and if it has not been exchanged or reissued under the new law it keeps the following scope.

• An old A1 continues to cover two-wheel motorcycles from 50 cm³ to under 175 cm³, or an electric motor from 4 kW to under 14 kW.
• An old A2 continues to cover two-wheel motorcycles of 175 cm³ and above, or an electric motor of 14 kW and above, plus the old A1 vehicles.
• An old A3 continues to cover three-wheel motorcycles, the old A1 vehicles and similar vehicles.

So there are now two parallel sets of numbers in circulation. A renter with a pre-2025 A1 can legally ride a 150 cm³ bike; a renter with a 2025-issued A1 cannot. When a rental shop asks to see your licence, the issue date on the card is what tells them which set of limits applies to you.

Minimum ages for each class

The Government portal’s article on licence ages, “Quy định về độ tuổi được cấp Giấy phép lái xe từng hạng từ 1/1/2025”, states that a person must be at least 18 to be issued a class A1, A, B1, B or C1 licence. It separately states that a person aged 16 or over may operate a “xe gắn máy”, the law’s category for low-powered mopeds, which sits below the A1 class rather than inside it. Rental listings in Hanoi that advertise 50cc bikes are usually relying on that distinction; the legal detail is covered in our guide to 50cc motorbike rental licence and legal requirements in Hanoi.

Foreign licences, IDPs and what the US Embassy says

For most international visitors, the A1 versus A question only becomes relevant once they hold a Vietnamese licence, because the US Embassy and Consulate in Vietnam’s “Driving in Vietnam” page states that foreign driver licences, even when accompanied by an international driving permit, are not valid in Vietnam. The same page notes that a licence from an ASEAN country may be recognised in certain circumstances, but still advises obtaining a local Vietnamese licence to drive legally. The rules on international permits have their own nuances, and our article on whether an international driving permit can be used in Vietnam walks through them in more detail.

According to the embassy page, a foreigner who wants a Vietnamese licence, including a motorbike licence, should contact the nearest Traffic Police Department or commune-level police department for official instructions. The page lists the documents generally required for an exchange: an application form for the exchange of a motor vehicle driving licence; authenticated photocopies of the foreign licence with a notarised Vietnamese translation; copies of the passport biodata page, the Vietnamese visa page and the Vietnamese residency permit (two copies of each); a valid health check document, unless the licence validity will be tied to the visa or residence permit; a photograph taken on site by the police; and cash for the application fee, which the page gives as 135,000 VND, with translation, photo or delivery costs possibly extra.

Two practical points follow from this. First, when a foreign licence is exchanged, the class you receive depends on what your home licence covers, so it pays to know in advance whether you will be looking at an A1 or an A. Second, the exchange produces a Vietnamese licence issued after 1 January 2025, which means the new 125 cm³ and 11 kW thresholds apply to it, not the older 175 cm³ line. Anyone preparing for a longer stay can start with our checklist for a foreign licence exchange in Hanoi before a long-term motorbike rental.

Matching a licence class to a rental bike

Once you know which class and which issue date you hold, choosing a rental bike comes down to two numbers printed on documents, not to the model name on the shop’s board.

Petrol bikes: read the displacement on the registration certificate

Ask the shop to show you the engine capacity recorded on the registration certificate for the exact bike you are taking, and compare it with the line that applies to your licence: 125 cm³ for a licence issued in 2025 or later, 175 cm³ for a pre-2025 A1. Do not rely on the model name alone; the figure on the paperwork is what a traffic police officer would compare with your licence class. If the document shows a capacity above your limit, ask for a different bike. Our guide on matching a rental motorbike to its registration papers explains how to read that document and confirm it belongs to the bike in front of you.

Electric scooters: read the rated motor power

The electric thresholds are expressed in motor power rather than engine size: up to 11 kW for a 2025-issued A1, and 4 kW to under 14 kW for a pre-2025 A1 under the transitional rule. Ask the shop for the rated motor power from the manufacturer’s specification or the vehicle’s own label. Note that the transitional old-A1 band starts at 4 kW, so for a low-powered electric scooter it is worth asking the shop which vehicle category it is registered under before assuming any licence class applies. Electric rental options in Hanoi are described in our Hanoi electric scooter rental guide.

Three-wheel vehicles

Class B1 exists for three-wheel motorcycles. It is rarely relevant to tourists, but if a shop offers a trike or a sidecar outfit, remember that an A1 licence on its own does not cover it, while a B1 does cover ordinary A1 bikes.

Questions to ask a Hanoi rental shop before you pay

A short checklist keeps the licence conversation clear on both sides.

• “What is the engine capacity on this bike’s registration certificate?” Compare it with your class and issue date.
• “For an electric scooter, what is the rated motor power?” Compare it with 11 kW (new A1) or the 4 kW to 14 kW band (old A1).
• “Do you record my licence class and number on the contract?” A contract that names the class makes it easier to show you rented a bike you were entitled to ride.
• “Can I photograph the capacity line on the certificate?” A photo on your phone is a simple record of why you chose that bike.

Thuê xe máy Nguyễn Hà, at Ngõ 5 Nguyễn Văn Cừ, Bồ Đề, Long Biên, Hà Nội, is open 09:00–21:00 daily and can be reached on the hotline 0334 699 969 if you want to confirm the engine size of a specific bike before visiting. For the broader question of what paperwork a rider needs at all, see our overview of whether you need a motorcycle licence to ride in Vietnam.

Points and the recovery test, briefly

The Nghệ An summary also describes a points-recovery test that applies when a licence loses its points under the new law. For a class A1 licence the test has 25 questions, including one “disqualifying” question, with 19 minutes allowed and a pass mark of 21 or more correct answers without getting the disqualifying question wrong; classes A and B1 also face a 25-question test. A short-term visitor is unlikely to meet this, but it is a reminder that the licence classes now sit inside a points system, not just a card with a class letter on it.

FAQ

Can a class A1 licence issued in 2025 be used on a 150cc bike?

Not according to the class definitions published by the Government portal: a 2025-issued A1 covers two-wheel motorcycles up to 125 cm³ or an electric motor up to 11 kW. A 150 cm³ bike needs class A. An A1 issued before 1 January 2025 is different, because the transitional rule keeps its old scope of 50 cm³ to under 175 cm³.

Does a class A licence also cover smaller scooters?

Yes. The class A definition explicitly includes the vehicles specified for class A1, so a class A holder may ride a 110 cm³ or 125 cm³ scooter as well as a larger motorcycle.

Do the new classes expire?

The Nghệ An government summary states that class A1, A and B1 licences are issued without a time limit, as the old A1, A2 and A3 were.

Can I use my home-country licence or an IDP instead?

The US Embassy page states that foreign driver licences, even with an international driving permit, are not valid in Vietnam, while noting that ASEAN licences may be recognised in certain circumstances. It recommends obtaining a local Vietnamese licence and lists the documents the police generally ask for in an exchange.

How old do I have to be for an A1 licence?

The Government portal’s article on licence ages states that a person must be at least 18 to be issued class A1, A or B1, while a person aged 16 or over may ride a “xe gắn máy”, the lower-powered category that sits below A1.