Short answer: Vietnam has no separate, additional fine called “riding while suspended.” A suspension — whether from exhausted licence points or a serious speeding violation — makes the licence invalid for its duration, and riding on an invalid licence is banded exactly like riding with no licence: 2,000,000–4,000,000 VND for a bike up to 125 cc, 6,000,000–8,000,000 VND for anything larger (Article 18(5)(a), (7)(b) of Decree 168/2024/NĐ-CP). The suspension is not a holiday from enforcement; it is the state of not having a licence, priced accordingly.
How a motorbike licence gets suspended
Two paths exist for motorbike riders. The first is the points system: a licence carries twelve points, deductions are recorded for listed violations, and when the balance reaches zero the licence stops being valid — with a restoration path through a knowledge test after a waiting period, covered in the points-system and zero-points articles. The second is a direct suspension attached to a specific violation: riding more than 20 km/h over the limit as part of an organised group draws 8–10 million VND plus a 10–12 month suspension under Article 7(9)(b) and 7(12)(b). Serious accident offences can cost the licence entirely under criminal proceedings, which is outside this article’s fine schedule.
Why the fine is “no licence” and not something extra
Decree 168’s Article 18 bands riders by licence status and engine size, not by how the licence became invalid. A licence voided by points exhaustion, one under suspension, one that was tampered with and one that never existed all land in the same bands at 18(5)(a) and (7)(b). There is no clause that adds a surcharge for the aggravating fact that the rider was already suspended — the schedule treats “invalid” as a single condition. What the suspension does change is everything around the stop, not the number on the ticket.
What else happens at the stop
Riding without a valid licence is a ground for the police to hold the motorbike under Article 48 of the decree, alongside the fine — the bike is released when the violation is settled and the papers situation is resolved. If the bike belongs to someone else, the owner faces a separate penalty for handing it to an unlicensed rider. And any new violation committed while suspended is recorded on its own terms: points deductions apply again where listed, and a second points exhaustion or a second suspension-earning offence compounds the licence problem rather than replacing it.
Practical separation
The legal facts are those above. The practical reading: a suspended rider in Vietnam who rides is not committing a small technicality — they are in the same band as an unlicensed rider, with bike-holding exposure and owner penalties attached. Foreign riders should note that a Vietnamese suspension does not announce itself on a foreign licence; a rider who exhausted points and ignores the record rides in the invalid-licence band all the same. Waiting out the suspension or completing the points restoration is the only path back to a valid licence.
Information, not legal advice. Verified against Law 36/2024/QH15 and Decree 168/2024/NĐ-CP on 2026-09-22.