Plan

Drone rules: Vietnam

Last checked: October 5, 2026

Travel check for VietnamChecklist for your trip: registration, insurance, drone and batteries on the plane.

Maximum altitude

120 m

Registration

Not required

Under 250 g, recreational flights need no registration or permit outside restricted areas and within visual line of sight. Above that you need registration, a pilot licence (from age 18) and a flight permit.

Insurance

Not clearly documented

The official sources read do not mention an insurance requirement; not officially confirmed.

Depending on drone weight

From 250 gPermit required· Registration: RequiredFrom 250 g registration, pilot licence and a permit for each flight (Decree 288/2025).

For tourists

With a drone under 250 g, Vietnam is straightforward. From 250 g you need registration, a pilot licence and a flight permit, and as a foreigner also a Vietnamese guarantor, such as a tour operator. Allow plenty of lead time.

Further rules

Since Decree 288/2025 came into force, Vietnam has had a permit system for unmanned aircraft that covers almost every flight outside a narrow exemption for very small drones.
Only drones under 250 grams may be flown outside restricted zones without a separate flight permit, provided you fly within visual line of sight, respect the height limit and stay out of existing no-fly zones.
For all other drones you need registration of drone and pilot and a flight permit from the competent military and security authorities. The often-cited lead time of seven or twelve working days is not officially confirmed.
As a foreigner you also need a guarantee from a Vietnamese authority, organisation or person, such as a tour operator.
From 0.25 kg you need a pilot licence for visual flight and must be at least 18 years old. Imported drones need an import permit and a customs declaration. A requirement for an identifier or monitoring device is not officially confirmed.
The standard height limit for approved flights is 120 metres above ground; in sensitive areas the permitted height may be considerably lower or flying may not be allowed at all.
No-fly rules generally apply around airports, border areas, military facilities and government and other critical infrastructure; an official map of the restricted zones is published by the Ministry of Defence.
Violations are punished with fines of 4 to 40 million dong depending on the offence.
An insurance requirement for hobby flights is not officially confirmed.

Sources

This overview is not legal advice and not an official statement — laws change, and we cannot guarantee that every entry is fully up to date. Before your flight, please also check the official source or the local civil aviation authority.