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Premium motorbike rental · Hanoi
Ride the Old Quarter, then chase the open north.
Something nimble for the lanes and the lakes, something with legs when you point it at Ha Giang. A couple of things here catch visitors out, and you should hear them from us rather than at the roadside: tell Kai which country issued your licence and in about ninety seconds you know exactly what is yours to ride, brought to your door. Nothing paid, no card left.
In your language: English, Русский, Tiếng Việt, 中文…Kai replies in your language — English, Русский, Tiếng Việt, 中文 and more.
Big bikes, sport, touring & licence-free electrics Delivered to your hotel One honest all-in price
Big bikes need a 1968 IDP — Kai checks first, and always finds you a legal ride.
The bikes Kai quotes
What you can ride in Hanoi, in order
Grouped by what it takes to ride each one, starting with the machines that need no licence at all. Sport bikes, adventure machines and premium tourers need a 1968 permit with the right category. Every price is all-inclusive: helmets, delivery and support.
Tell Kai which country issued your licence and he'll narrow this to the ones that are actually yours.
With a full A licence and a 1968 IDP
Everything above 125cc, up to the flagships.
With an A1 licence and a 1968 IDP
Scooters up to 125cc. Kai reads the category printed on the permit before any of these is quoted.
No licence, no IDP — yours whatever your country issued
Legal for every nationality. We check the model against both limits the law sets, 4 kW and 50 km/h, since much of what gets rented as licence-free fails the second one.
E-scooter ≤4kW/≤50km/h
VinFast Evo200 Lite (electric)
Legal, licence-free city riding.
Ask Kai about this bikeBefore you take anyone's keys
The scooter you were offered as “no licence needed” — does it actually qualify?
Vietnamese law sets two limits, and a machine has to clear both: a design speed of no more than 50 km/h and a motor of no more than 4 kW. Most of the market checks the power and ignores the speed. Here is the list, using each manufacturer's own published figures. Take it to whichever shop you are standing in.
Clears both limits
- VinFast Evo200 Lite49 km/h · 1.5 kW
- VinFast Klara (lead-acid)45 km/h
- Yadea G5 Lite50 km/h · 1.2 kW
- Yadea Oris49 km/h · 1.2 kW
- Honda ICON e49 km/h · 1.81 kW
Needs an A1 licence
- VinFast Evo20070 km/h
- VinFast Klara S 202278 km/h · 3 kW
- VinFast Feliz S78 km/h
- VinFast Vento S90 km/h · 5.2 kW
- VinFast Theon S99 km/h · 7.1 kW
- Yadea G552 km/h
- Yadea G5S80 km/h
- Yadea S354 km/h
- Pega NewTech60 km/h
- Honda UC380 km/h · 6 kW
The pairs that catch people out
- VinFast Evo200 Lite is licence-free. VinFast Evo200 is not. Same name, same silhouette, 49 against 70 km/h.
- Yadea G5 Lite is licence-free. Yadea G5 is not. Same name, same silhouette, 50 against 52 km/h.
A listing that says only “VinFast Klara” is naming a family that runs from 45 to 78 km/h, which tells you nothing about the machine you will actually be handed. Ask for the exact trim, and ask to see the registration.
Both electrics Kai quotes are the Lite versions, and we publish their figures next to the price: the VinFast Evo200 Lite at 1.5 kW and 49 km/h, the Yadea G5 Lite at 1.2 kW and 50 km/h. If you would rather check a scooter someone else is offering, tell Kai the model and he will read it off the maker's spec for you. You do not have to rent anything to ask.
Figures are each manufacturer's own published specification, checked September 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
Looking for something specific in Hanoi?
Travel planner
Tell us your trip — get the route and the bike
A free, personalised Hanoi itinerary with the right bike for every leg — matched to your licence so it's always one you can legally ride.
Plan your ride
Build a Hanoi route in 30 seconds
3 days
Free, no signup. Kai re-checks your licence before you send a request.
Pick a style, your days and your licence country — and I'll lay out a Hanoi route with the right bike for every leg, legal for you to ride.
Where you'll ride
City chaos, then the open north
Hanoi is a small nimble-scooter city — but it's also the launchpad for the most famous rides in Vietnam.
Each “best on” pick assumes you hold the matching licence — Kai confirms what you can legally ride before you send a request, and always has a legal option for you.
Old Quarter & Hoan Kiem
The organised chaos around the lake, best taken slow on a small automatic with good brakes.
Best on:VinFast Evo200 Lite (electric)Honda Vision 110
Plan this ride with KaiWest Lake (Tay Ho) sunset
A relaxed loop of the city's biggest lake — cafés, temples and the evening light.
Best on:VinFast Evo200 Lite (electric)Honda Vision 110
Plan this ride with KaiNinh Binh day-trip
Two hours south to the limestone karsts of Tam Coc and Trang An — 'Halong on land'.
Best on:VinFast Evo200 Lite (electric)Honda Vision 110
Plan this ride with KaiGateway to the North
Mai Chau, the Ha Giang Loop, Cao Bang — Hanoi is where the great northern routes begin.
Best on:VinFast Evo200 Lite (electric)Honda Vision 110
Plan this ride with KaiIn the Old Quarter you want something small, light and automatic — a Vision or Air Blade — not a big bike. If you're launching a northern loop, that's a manual or adventure bike and a genuinely valid 1968 IDP; Kai will tell you straight if your permit doesn't qualify rather than wave you off into the mountains illegally.
Passport stays with you
cash deposit on handover, never held hostage
One all-in price
delivery, helmets & 24/7 support included
Rules read at the source
decrees read in the original, cited in our guides
Meet Kai
Your concierge, before you even arrive
Kai matches you to the right bike for your trip and your licence and quotes one honest all-in price for your dates. Asking Kai is free and takes about ninety seconds.
Your options depend on your licence, so Kai checks that first. Riders whose licence Vietnam doesn't recognise get a premium licence-free electric — never a fine, never a refusal without an answer.
Start with KaiK
Kai
hanoi.bike concierge · online
I'm German, I have a 1968 IDP, category A — what should I ride in Hanoi?
Category A covers every bike on my list here. For Hanoi I'd start you on the Yamaha MT-15 — Nimble naked sport for the Old Quarter.
750,000 ₫/day all-in (≈ $29): delivered to your hotel, two helmets, 24/7 support. Tell me your dates and I'll put your name down.
An example of how Kai answers — your options depend on your licence, so Kai checks first.
Peace of mind
We handle the details honestly
Legal & honest
We check whether you can legally ride here before you pay — and we never sell you cover you can't actually claim.
One rate, any length
Kai shows the total for your exact dates before you commit, and any days you add later are quoted at the same daily rate.
Delivered & collected
To your hotel with premium helmets, and collected from there at the end.
How it works
Three steps, ninety seconds
No app to download, no deposit wired to a stranger. A short honest chat, then you ride.
01
Talk to Kai
Tell Kai your country, dates and where in Hanoi you want to go. No app, no form — just a chat.
02
Get your legal match
Kai checks what you can legally ride, picks the right bike, and quotes one honest all-in price.
03
Ride
Delivered to your hotel with premium helmets. Deposit in cash on handover — no wire, no passport held.
Riding over 50cc in Vietnam needs a 1968-convention international permit (or, for a few countries, a licence agreement with Vietnam). Kai checks your status for free, in about 90 seconds, and always shows you a legal way to ride, whatever your licence. How the check works.
Read before you ride
The rules, in plain English, with the sources named
What decides whether you may legally ride in Hanoi, what it costs to get it wrong, and what is actually insured. Our guides link their legal claims to the decrees they come from, and we log our corrections in public.
Hanoi
Hanoi motorbike rental: the honest 2026 guide
A straight Hanoi motorbike rental guide for 2026: the right bike for the Old Quarter, the legal reality (1968 IDP, fines), honest insurance, airport delivery and prices.
ReadRoutes
Hanoi to Ninh Binh by motorbike: the Tam Coc & Trang An day-trip (2026)
Ride from Hanoi to Ninh Binh's karsts — Tam Coc, Trang An and the Mua Cave viewpoint. The honest route, timing, right bike and the licence reality for 2026.
ReadLegal essentials
1968 vs 1949 IDP: who can legally ride a motorbike in Vietnam
Vietnam recognises the 1968 Vienna Convention IDP, plus Korea's permit under a 2023 bilateral agreement. Here's which countries' permits are valid, which aren't, and what it costs to get it wrong in 2026.
ReadLegal essentials
Which Electric Scooters Are Actually Licence-Free in Vietnam
Vietnam's licence-free class has two limits at once: 4 kW and 50 km/h. Here is what the manufacturers themselves publish for the scooters rented to tourists.
ReadLegal essentials
Can a Korean Ride a Motorbike in Vietnam? The 2023 Agreement Almost Nobody Mentions
Korea is not a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention, so most guides say a Korean permit is useless in Vietnam. A bilateral agreement in force since 23 July 2023 changed that. Here is what it does and does not cover.
ReadLegal essentials
Can I rent a motorbike in Vietnam without an IDP or valid licence?
The honest answer for US, Australian, Canadian and Japanese riders: not a petrol bike legally — but a licence-free electric is fully legal for everyone. Here's how.
ReadLegal essentials
Vietnam traffic rules for foreigners (2026): helmets, alcohol, fines
Vietnam's 2026 road rules for foreign riders: mandatory helmets, a zero-alcohol limit, keep-right driving, horn culture, and exact Decree 168 fines.
ReadLegal essentials
Vietnam motorbike fines 2026 for foreigners
What a foreigner pays in 2026: VND 2–4M or 6–8M with no recognised licence, a 7-working-day impound, and the helmet, alcohol, red-light and phone fines.
ReadThe .bike network
One concierge, the whole country
Heading elsewhere in Vietnam? Each city below is its own local concierge — same premium, legal-first way to ride.
Find your perfect ride in Hanoi.
Tell Kai your country, dates and where you want to go. He matches your bike, confirms your legal options, and quotes one honest all-in price — no card needed, no passport held.
- Premium helmets & raincoat included
- Deposit paid in cash on handover
- 24/7 support
- Legal status checked before you pay
Start with Kai
or tap the chat in the corner
Why rent a motorbike in Hanoi?
Hanoi is two rides in one — the dense, characterful Old Quarter, and the gateway to Ninh Binh, Mai Chau and the legendary northern loops. We deliver a bike that fits whichever you're doing, check honestly that you can ride it legally, and stay reachable the whole way. No passport deposit, no scams, one transparent price.
Ride safe — and enjoy every kilometre.
Our standard
Papers before keys.
Not a certificate and not an award — a rule we hold ourselves to, and one you can hold us to. In Vietnam a ride is legal or not legal as a pair: this rider, on this machine. So we check both, in that order, before anything is quoted: you against the treaty tables, and the model against the maker's published figures.
First — you
Before a single bike is discussed, we work out what you may legally ride in Hanoi: which licence you hold, whether you carry an International Driving Permit, and which convention issued it. Vietnam recognises the 1968 Vienna permit and, for Korean riders, a Korean permit with the category A stamp under a 2023 bilateral agreement. If the answer limits you, we say so plainly rather than handing you keys and wishing you luck.
Then — the machine
A model name is not proof of anything. The licence-free class has two limits at once — rated power of 4 kW or under and a design speed of 50 km/h or under — and manufacturers sell near-identical trims on both sides of that line. So we check each licence-free model Kai quotes by its exact trim, against both limits in the maker's published figures. At handover, ask to see the registration papers of the exact bike you are given, before you ride.
What this is not: a government certification, a guarantee that nothing can go wrong, or a promise that you will never be stopped. Ordinary traffic rules still apply to everyone — helmet, phone, lanes, lights. This is us being answerable for the two things that are actually ours to get right.