Vietnamese International Driving Licence

Do you want to drive or ride? I wouldn't drive here. It's atrocious. You're an easy target since everyone will assume you have money. The police will extort you for coffee money and the local riders will do what they can to annoy the hell out of ya. I prefer to ride a scooter. You can buy a permit or just ride without a license. Just don't buy an expensive scooter. I got a beat up one and if they pulled me over I'll just let them have the bike since I don't feel like paying up. This is just me but I'm sure there are other law abiding expats will tell you otherwise.

I agree with Hypothalamus,

Unless you have 4 sets of eyes and the patience of a monk, I wouldn't bother thinking about driving here....

I would be riding a small motor bike in Soc Trang and Vung Tau only.
There is no way I would attempt it in Ho Chi Minh city :-)
Several years ago I had a Vietnamese motorcycle licence but that expired when my visa expired.
There is a company in HCM that could get a licence for me but at a cost of a few hundred dollars !!

A few hundred dollars (US) ????????
That company is no friend of yours !!!
I've held an A2 VN driver's licence since January 2013, and an A1 VN driver's licence for one year before that.
The original A1 VN licencing process was done at - Office of Traffic & Public Works.  63 Ly Tu Trong (Ho Chi Minh City)
BE WARNED - a dear, little old Vietnamese lady tried to sell me a 'genuine VN A1 license' (minus photo) right outside the entrance doorway of the licencing building, for 'only' VND 80,000 !!!

For the real thing all that was needed was - › One copy of my valid passport with the photo page and the visa page.
Already having existing duel citizenships, two copies of my existing driving licenses and notarized of each of my 'home' licence(s)  - one civilian from Australia, two from Israel, one civilian and one military, with translated and notarized versions
Six passport size photos.   Passport quality
Filled in application form (you can download the form for driving license application)
Cost was USD 1.5 for processing fee (VND 50,000 -> A1 Motorbike only less than 175cc)
Completed application, officially certified and notarized by the Australian Consulate, Sai Gonconsulate, as the authorized certifying authority.
Three officially certified and notarized copies of each of the original driving licences.
Three officially certified and notarized copies of the original driving licence that had been translated by an officially authorized Vietnamese translation service into Vietnamese
Three officially certified and notarized copies of each of my passports.
After the first 12 months, when my VN licence was due for renewal and changing it to the new 'hard plastic' licence - my 'Better Half' took all the paperwork and fresh passport sized photos back into the same place.
This time there no problems at all, hardly any waiting time either.
A week later I had my new licence in my hands, this time for some unknown reason it was marked as - A2 and there is no expiry date on it either.   :-)

Hello,

Don't worry about get driving licence.

If you are foreigner, you will get it with the shorter that.

I did it before for my Italian guys with cost is only about 30$

Prepare documents:
- Your driving licence in your country (original) + copy (which is translated in Vietnamese) ==> cost for translate about 20$ up to which language, English is cheaper than
- Passport
- Fill the form to request to change driving licence (download on online)
- your photos
- Residence card

When you have all, go to the " Transport department" in Dist. 3 and submit documents ==> cost about 5.5$

and you can get it after 1 week, they can send to your home/office address

DON'T make via service company, the cost is too high

hope it useful for you

Thanks for all the replies to my original post.
They are interesting but none have answered my question - what is the web address that has the documents which I can download?

Vule85 mentioned there is a "form to request to change driving licence (download on online)". Can you give me that web address please?
I do not have a residence card. I come to VN using my 5 year VEC and stay for about 2 months on each visit.
I have a full UK licence for cars and motorbikes.
I need a VN motorbike licence otherwise my travel insurance is invalid if I have an accident requiring medical assistance.

Don't worry about getting the international license, go and have your license translated and get a local license that last as long as your visa or UK license, whichever expires first. Your wife can help you do it, it's a very easy process.

colinoscapee wrote:

Don't worry about getting the international license, go and have your license translated and get a local license that last as long as your visa or UK license, whichever expires first. Your wife can help you do it, it's a very easy process.

Thanks for this advice but I will only be passing through HCM city from the airport on my way to Soc Trang then on to Vung Tau hence my reason for trying to apply for a licence online. I have been told I cannot apply for a licence in ST or VT, only in HCM.
Maybe I will have to spend time in HCM if there is no other alternative.

My wife left VN 24 years ago and has even less information than me about these things :-)

Have you tried this site yet?

http://www.vietnam-immigration.org.vn/n … art-2.html

Hypothalamus wrote:

Do you want to drive or ride? I wouldn't drive here. It's atrocious. You're an easy target since everyone will assume you have money. The police will extort you for coffee money and the local riders will do what they can to annoy the hell out of ya. I prefer to ride a scooter. You can buy a permit or just ride without a license. Just don't buy an expensive scooter. I got a beat up one and if they pulled me over I'll just let them have the bike since I don't feel like paying up. This is just me but I'm sure there are other law abiding expats will tell you otherwise.

I agree. But, my wife refuses to let me ride a motorcycle. So, I drive an old Jeep. Note, Ben Tan District traffic is much different from District One. For District One, I use a Taxi.

Well, I drive car in Hanoi almost daily. Sometimes even 16 seater and I'm don't see any problems with police or general driving.
I do see problems with parking and I hate these shop owners who think road front of them is theirs too.. but I mainly tell them "friendly" go away.. and then not so friendly if they keep harassing me.

I do agree that motorcycle is faster anyday of the week but still I take car every day that it's raining.. or too hot.. hehe