Short answer: be 18 or older, enrol at a licensed training centre, complete the course, pass a 25-question theory test and a practical test in the figure, and pay the state fees. The A1 licence covers motorbikes up to and including 125 cc or 11 kW — the category almost every scooter rented in Hanoi falls into.

Who qualifies

Article 59 of the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety (No. 36/2024/QH15) sets the age for an A1 licence at 18. Health requirements apply: eyesight and health conditions are checked before the test, and the health certificate is part of the dossier a training centre assembles for you.

The steps in order

  1. Enrol at a training centre licensed by the Ministry of Public Security. Foreigners can enrol too, but the exam is conducted in Vietnamese — there is no English-language test.
  2. Complete the training course. Since 1 September 2025, Circular 14/2025/TT-BXD fixes minimum training hours before a candidate can be registered for the test (class A: 32 hours, including 20 theory and 4 practical; A1 runs a shorter programme). Attendance at the full course is a precondition for sitting the exam.
  3. Sit the theory test: 25 questions on a computer, pass mark 21/25 for A1.
  4. Sit the practical test in the figure: the circuit of stops, starts and manoeuvres described in Circular 12/2025/TT-BCA.
  5. Pay the state fees and receive the licence.

Where foreigners fit in

The procedure above is for people who do not hold any motorbike licence. A foreigner with a valid national motorbike licence and three months of residence papers normally exchanges it instead — a lighter procedure that for many applicants skips the theory part. Check your own situation before paying for a course you may not need.

How long it takes

From enrolment to licence, most candidates finish within two to four weeks depending on the test schedule at their centre. The licence itself is issued with no expiry date for motorbike classes.

Information, not legal advice. Verified against Law 36/2024/QH15, Circular 12/2025/TT-BCA and Circular 14/2025/TT-BXD on 2026-09-22.