Taking driving licence in VN first before going abroad or...?

elena2710 wrote:

Hello everybody !!
It would be great if someone helps me this. I heard that if you have a driving licence in VN, you don't need to take theory test in USA as taking driving licence. Is it like that?
And the possibility to pass the drving test is high if you have a driving licence in VN?
Some said the driving licence is internationally recognised so if you have a licence in VN, there 's no need to take another one in USA???
I am really confused with many different ideas.
Thank you very much for giving me authentic information !!!

Well, why don't you go to the <<>> and ask those Expats there?  I.e. if you plan on going to the United States, go ask on the USA Forum.  If you plan on going to France, then go ask on the France Forum.  They would have better information/experience on the receiving end.

As far as I know, the VN driver's license is maybe not even worth the piece of paper it's printed on considering many Vietnamese Citizens don't bother to obtain one in order to drive in THIS country, let alone try to drive outside of it. 

If you don't believe me, watch carefully the next time you get come upon a mob of motorbikes stopped for no apparent reason on the side of the road.  That's because about 200-300 meters down the road, there is a CSGT checkpoint (CSGT = traffic police).

Elena, Here's a little USA Civics lesson for you:

As you may or may not know, there are 50 states in the USA (some countries refer to them as provinces, but they are states in USA), and the rules/laws for driver licenses are slightly different in every state. First thing you need to do is decide in which state you want to be licensed, then Google "(name of state) driver license requirements" or similar. No one on this forum can tell you any more than this.

Regarding your VN driver license being recognized as a legitimate document in USA - see Tran Hung Dao's post above.

Vietnam driver's license?
You can find a photo framing shop there and keep it in your living room!

Interesting pov here. In the UK Hertz (car rental company) will hire you a car as long as the VN driving licence has been translated by the  Vietnamese Ministry of Transport.

Go figure....   given that the VN don't recognise the international driving licence.

laidbackfreak wrote:

Interesting pov here. In the UK Hertz (car rental company) will hire you a car as long as the VN driving licence has been translated by the  Vietnamese Ministry of Transport.

Go figure....   given that the VN don't recognise the international driving licence.

Well....I'll be darn...you do learn something each day.

First, there is a difference between a "Driver's License" and a "Driver's Permit".  In the United States, each State has authority to issue out driver's license to its citizens.  A "License" would have an authority in charge and the last I checked, the U.N. had better things to do than authorize a "world/international driver's license". 

Second, I did run across something called an International Driving Permit (IDP), which is a result of international treaties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internatio … ing_Permit

In the United States, the Department of State has authorized two private entities, the American Automobile Association and the American Automobile Touring Alliance's National Automobile Club (http://www.nationalautoclub.com) as the only entities in the United States to issue IDPs. They advise against purchasing IDPs from unauthorized outlets, as these are sometimes fraudulent.

This explains why Việt Nam doesn't recognize the IDP - it wasn't part of The 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic has been ratified by 95 states

laidbackfreak wrote:

Interesting pov here. In the UK Hertz (car rental company) will hire you a car as long as the VN driving licence has been translated by the  Vietnamese Ministry of Transport.

Go figure....   given that the VN don't recognise the international driving licence.

Foreign motorists from any of the countries who are party to the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic (Geneva, 1949) or the Convention on the Regulation of Inter-American Motor Vehicle Traffic (Washington, D.C., 1943) who visit the United States as tourists can drive legally using their valid domestic driver's license for a period not to exceed one year from the date of arrival. They may drive either a personal or rental car.

This is from the State of Wisconsin's website that talks about extending driving privileges to International Driving Permit (IDP) holders.

http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/dr … oreign.htm

Việt Nam is not a signatory of the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic and therefore, any Vietnamese must obtain the IDP from the US Secretary of State (or designee). 

This is more addressed to the OP, elena2710, and any Expat-friends.

And in order to do so, you must already have a Vietnamese Driver's License and have it translated into English along with your application for an IDP.  Once you get an IDP, you keep it with your VN Driver's License in the event you get pulled over and you can show the cops.

Hello,

Posters, please make sure that you either have concrete evidence (like the last post) or personal experience to back up what you say about the validity of VN driver license abroad, instead of projecting your own ideas.

@elena2710: no, having a VN driver license does not exempt you from the written test, or increase your chance of passing the driving test. I wouldn't bother getting a license in VN though. Much cheaper and easier to get one in the US.

With a VN license (translated), you'll have no problem renting cars in the US (I know many people who have done so). Truth is that car rental agents, and the police too, most likely don't know about whatever convention mentioned in earlier posts. The only thing they check is your entry date on your passport to make sure that it's within the 1 year mark. (After 1 year, you have to get a local license.)

freshair wrote:

Posters, please make sure that you either have concrete evidence (like the last post)

Whoops sorry forgot about using google :

http://tinyurl.com/nyb9e46

Thank you very much for all information you provided