Best Advice for Moving to Da Nang: Learn to Ride a Motorbike & Get Your IDP
The single best advice for expats moving to Da Nang, Vietnam: learn to ride a motorbike before you arrive and bring an International Driving Permit (IDP) for police checkpoints.
If I could give just one piece of advice to anyone planning to visit Da Nang or stay long-term in Vietnam, it would be this: learn how to ride a motorbike before you arrive, and get the proper motorcycle license and International Driving Permit (IDP).
Vietnam ranks third in the world for motorbike usage (right behind China and India, but remember those countries have over a billion people each). Absolutely everything in daily life and city infrastructure in Da Nang is tied to the motorbike. By the way, locals just call any two-wheeled motorized vehicle a "bike"—whether it’s a basic automatic scooter like a Honda AirBlade or a manual sportbike, it’s all just a "bike."
You can survive in Da Nang using cheap Grab taxis or even renting a car, but Vietnamese cities are simply not designed for cars. There is a severe lack of car parking, the massive flow of scooters is overwhelming for a car driver, and GPS navigation will constantly struggle to route a car through tiny residential alleys (*kiệt* and *hẻm*), making the experience miserable.
Walking vs. Riding a Scooter in Da Nang: My Experience
On my first visit to Vietnam, I didn't drive a scooter. I walked and took Grab taxis everywhere. Honestly? I didn’t like Vietnam much. When you are a pedestrian here, the city feels hostile. Sidewalks are blocked by parked motorbikes and street stalls, there are almost no real pedestrian crosswalks, and you are walking right at ground level with the street rats and cockroaches.
But on my second visit, I rented a motorbike. It changed absolutely everything.
When you are on a bike, your perspective completely shifts. You don't notice the bugs on the street, and the lack of pedestrian sidewalks suddenly doesn't affect you. The chaotic flow of Vietnam traffic finally makes sense. Plus, you unlock a massive level of freedom: you can ride out to empty beaches, drive up the Son Tra Peninsula (Monkey Mountain) or Hai Van Pass, head to mountain waterfalls, and explore places outside Da Nang in minutes.
I truly only started to love Vietnam when I started to drive.
Learn How to Ride a Motorcycle Before Moving to Vietnam
My advice is to learn the basics of operating a scooter or motorcycle back in your home country before your flight. You will still need to learn the unspoken rules of Vietnamese traffic when you get to Da Nang, but if throttle control, braking, and balance are already muscle memory, adapting to local roads will be much easier and safer.
Da Nang Traffic Police Checkpoints & International Driving Permit (IDP) Rules
More importantly, get your motorcycle license paperwork sorted before you fly. Following several high-profile crashes involving uninsured tourists in Da Nang, local traffic police (*CSGT*) cracked down hard. Reputable motorbike rental shops now check driver’s licenses, and traffic police regularly set up checkpoints along coastal roads and bridges specifically checking foreigners.
Do not show up in Da Nang assuming you can rent a scooter with a smile and a passport like it's 2015, or that renting a 50cc bike without a license will save you. Get a full motorcycle license back home along with a valid 1968 International Driving Permit (IDP) (or convert your license to a Vietnamese driving license if you have a residency visa). With legal paperwork, you can rent a proper 125cc or 150cc scooter anywhere in Vietnam without stress, fines, or having your bike impounded by the police.