Vietnam’s answer to teenage moped riding is organised through schools, not through licence tests. Here is what the programme is — and, just as importantly, what it is not.

Decree 151/2024/NĐ-CP arranges road-safety knowledge and safe-moped-riding skills training for students at high schools and vocational institutions. It exists alongside the licence-free regime for 50cc-or-under mopeds: the rider must be at least 16 (Article 59 of Law 36/2024/QH15), and police have publicly clarified that 16-to-18-year-olds may ride mopeds without a licence or training certificate. Training therefore reaches riders through their school rather than acting as a universal permit.

What the training aims to cover

The programme’s purpose, as the decree frames it, is competence before traffic: understanding traffic rules and having basic vehicle-handling skills — the same conditions Article 56(4) imposes on every moped rider regardless of age. In practice the content centres on:

  • the road rules that apply to mopeds — helmets, lanes, signals, drink-riding prohibitions
  • basic machine control: starting, stopping, slow-speed balance, safe braking
  • risk awareness for the situations that actually hurt teenage riders: night riding, passenger carrying, speed differentials, phone use

What it is not

It is not a licence. Passing a school programme does not permit riding a 50cc-or-over motorbike before 18 — that remains a 400,000–600,000 VND fine under Decree 168/2024/NĐ-CP, whatever the school taught. And it is not optional knowledge: a 16-year-old on a moped is fined at adult levels for adult violations.

For parents

If your teenager is about to start riding, engage with what the school teaches and extend it at home. Our parent-focused guides — choosing whether to buy a 50cc for your teenager, and teaching safe riding habits — cover the practical side, and the age-rules article states the law exactly.

Information, not legal advice. Verified against the full text of Law 36/2024/QH15 and Decree 168/2024/NĐ-CP on 2026-09-24.