A 50cc moped rider flicks through exactly the same fine schedule as a motorbike rider, with one narrow set of exceptions around licences. Here is the honest map.
What applies identically (Article 7, Decree 168/2024/NĐ-CP)
- No helmet or unfastened strap: 400,000–600,000 VND
- Carrying a helmet-less passenger: 400,000–600,000 VND
- Handheld phone while riding: 800,000–1,000,000 VND
- Red light: 4,000,000–6,000,000 VND
- Wrong way down a one-way street: 4,000,000–6,000,000 VND
- Pavement riding (non-exempt): 4,000,000–6,000,000 VND
- Alcohol bands: 2–3 , 6–8, up to 8–10 million VND at the highest band
The decree’s Article 7 covers mopeds and motorbikes together at the same levels. Only pedal-type electric bicycles fall under the separate, lower non-motorised schedule.
What does not apply
The licence-offence bands (riding without a licence, 2–4 million VND for 125cc-and-under) apply to xe máy — a moped requires no licence, so an adult moped rider cannot commit that offence. But the exemption ends there.
What applies only to young riders
A 16-to-under-18-year-old on a motorbike of 50cc or more commits an age offence: 400,000–600,000 VND under Article 18(4). Under-16s get a warning rather than a fine, but the bike still cannot legally be ridden.
The bigger exposure
Fines compound after an accident, and the paperwork — liability, insurance claims, hospital costs — usually outweighs the ticket. Alcohol involvement can wreck an insurance claim at any engine size. Our drink-driving article lists the exact alcohol limits, and the fines overview carries the full verified table.
Ride a 50cc like the fines are real, because they are.
Information, not legal advice. Verified against the full text of Law 36/2024/QH15 and Decree 168/2024/NĐ-CP on 2026-09-24.