Vietnam E-Scooter Laws: Mopeds Regulated, True Scooters in a Gap (2026)

This article is general information about e-scooter laws in Vietnam and is not legal advice. If you are cited for a traffic offense or need advice for a specific situation, consult a Vietnamese lawyer or the traffic police (Cong an giao thong). Information last verified on 23 July 2026.

Are e-scooters legal in Vietnam?

It depends which device. Vietnam overhauled its road traffic law with Law No. 36/2024/QH15, passed June 27, 2024 and effective January 1, 2025, replacing the 2008 Road Traffic Law. That law tightened licensing for electric mopeds (xe may dien), a two- or three-wheeled motorized vehicle with a design speed up to 50 km/h and, if electric, motor output up to 4 kW. Riders now need at least an A1 or B1-class license and must be 16 or older.

True stand-up e-scooters and self-balancing devices are a different story. Multiple Vietnamese sources describe them as devices the law does not recognize as road traffic vehicles at all, meaning they have no lawful vehicle status to ride on the road under, not that they are freely permitted. No law is never the same as it being legal. Being outside the vehicle-status system usually means there is no compliant way to use the device on a public road, not that using it carries no consequence.

What counts as an e-scooter here

Article 34 of the 2024 law defines the motorized moped as a two- or three-wheeled vehicle with a design speed of 50 km/h or less, and, if electric, a motor output up to 4 kW. Pedal-assist e-bicycles fall under a separate, non-motorized category, defined by the motor cutting off once the rider stops pedaling or the bike reaches 25 km/h. Kick-scooters, self-balancing wheels, electric suitcases, and similar devices fall under neither definition. Vietnamese reporting consistently describes them as not designed or manufactured for road use and not recognized as road traffic vehicles under the law.

Where you can ride

Not addressed directly for kick-scooters and self-balancing devices in the source material reviewed for this page, consistent with their status as devices the law does not recognize for road use at all. For electric mopeds, ordinary road use applies once the license and age requirements are met.

Rider rules

• Electric mopeds up to 11 kW: an A1 or B1-class license has been required since January 1, 2025, with a minimum age of 16.
• Pedal-assist e-bicycles: no license is required, since they count as non-motorized under the law's definition, as long as the motor cuts off at 25 km/h or when pedaling stops.
• Kick-scooters and self-balancing devices: no rider-qualification framework exists, because the law does not recognize them as vehicles in the first place.

Penalties

Decree 168/2024/ND-CP, effective January 1, 2025, is the main administrative-penalty schedule for road traffic violations. The Ministry of Public Security's own explainer of the decree enumerates penalties for cars, motorcycles and mopeds, e-bicycles (for example, 400,000 to 600,000 VND for riding an e-bicycle without a helmet), bicycles, and other primitive vehicles, but it does not itself enumerate a specific line for kick-scooters or self-balancing wheels.

Vietnamese press has reported fines around 200,000 to 250,000 VND for riding these devices on a traffic lane. This research treats that figure as reported practice under a general catch-all provision, not a confirmed, itemized line in the primary decree text reviewed.

Enforcement in practice

Enforcement of the electric-moped license requirement is part of the new 2025 regime and is treated as routine. Enforcement against true kick-scooters and self-balancing devices is a documented data gap. The flagship 2025 decree does not name them specifically, so any enforcement likely proceeds under a general other-vehicle-on-the-roadway provision rather than a scooter-specific rule.

Riders should not read the drafting gap as permission. The direction of Vietnam's 2024-2025 reform has been toward restricting, not enabling, scooter-type devices.

For how a nearby market handles the same device category, see our guide to Singapore's PMD and e-scooter rules, and our global e-scooter law guide for the full country comparison.