Vietnamese driving license.

I know it's not a huge deal, but I though I could at least save the trip to the notary as I did that already before....😕

I know it's not a huge deal, but I though I could at least save the trip to the notary as I did that already before....😕
-@danrodri

which is new the licence or the visa?

The one that was already renewed is the residency permit. For one year (work permit). The one I haven't renewed yet is the driving license. I say notary because I needed a certified translation of my foreign driving license. So...need to do again? 😕

The one that was already renewed is the residency permit. For one year (work permit). The one I haven't renewed yet is the driving license. I say notary because I needed a certified translation of my foreign driving license. So...need to do again? 😕
-@danrodri

yep they need to see dates and translation and will issue VN licence for the first that expires so if O/S licence is 5 years and residency is 12 months then the VN licence will last until the date of the 12 months residency.

So they don't care about your old VN driving license at all? Gosh! I guess I will then keep it to hand it to some greedy police officer if he threatens me with taking my license 😊

@SteinNebraska how is the process to renew the driving license? I dont want to go with documents missing or things. Cheers
-@danrodri

Fortunately Andy already covered this for you, which is good because my wife does it for me.  I just show up for the photo.  LOL

I never considered a driver's license while in Vietnam because of the horrendous traffic and tiny streets.  It took several years before I was even willing to use a moto.  But now my friend in Vietnam, where I stay now when I visit, wants to buy a car when she has enough money and wants me to get a license to drive it.  We would only take the expressways, not drive on HCMC streets, so it would be acceptable to me.  This thread is very helpful.

I’ve tried twice. Failed the test both times. But I have a drivers license- car. And have been riding a bike here for almost 5 years.

I’ve tried twice. Failed the test both times. But I have a drivers license- car. And have been riding a bike here for almost 5 years.
-@AyakaT

Just curious. Which of the bike licenses were you tested for?

""

IF no valid VN bike licence and in an accident in which you are the driver you have ZERO medical cover. (Just check with the bike hire companies about the dangers of no VN licence Trev from S/M has an excellent blog article about it).

There has been many valid discussions about four wheels vs two on the forum and it is well known there is a huge fatality rate here in Vietnam due to the large number riding bikes and the lack of common sense or obeying road rules, no lights, riding the wrong way etc.

So your chances are higher here IF you have serious injuries that need hospital and/or medicare flights back to your home country, however - expect your medical insurance company to ask for the police report of who the driver was for a chance to get out of paying for your claim, they are well aware of the licence requirements here - due to tourists claiming.

The beauty of getting a valid VN licence (i.e. on thegplx.gov website - some bought licences arnt) is that if you have a VN licence your medical insurance is still valid and you can get bao hiem (bike insurance) for 3rd party up to 10mill., (many say useless but its there if you hit someone).

There is also the coffee money issue of being stopped and being able to wipe the huge grin off the nice policeman's face when you hand him/her/they, "bluecard", "bao hiem" "VN licence".

Just because you can do an illegal activity doesn't mean it's a good idea to do it.

@Aidan in HCMC  A1 the scooter bike, not A2

@Aidan in HCMC A1 the scooter bike, not A2
-@AyakaT

So NO VN bike licence?

@Aidan in HCMC A1 the scooter bike, not A2
-@AyakaT

After 5 years of riding, I strongly suggest you go back and do it again. With so many years experience, you'll pass with flying colours. A1 has no written test, no road test, and requires you to complete a figure-8 without putting your foot down. Even if you put your foot down, 200K will make that foot "invisible".

Get the license, AyakaT. It's worth your while.

edit: I'm told by a reliable source that the A1 is in fact "...the test is a figure 8, a road with a series of bumps and a wiggly road in HCMC".

Hey folks, I'm trying to decrypt this thread to extract information that would apply to me.

I'd like to get a A1 *lifetime* driving license. Can we officially say that if I'm *not* going to use my Canadian car driving license in the process, and will instead simply do the theoretical test and practical test, I can get a *lifetime* driving license that doesn't need to be renewed? Like many here I'm on a 5-year exemption certificate and can stay here 6 months at a time.

To add to the confusion, some local people in Can Tho on a Facebook forum are saying it's impossible to do this in Can Tho, only in HCM or Hanoi. I think it's also confusing for me because a lot of people are doing their equivalence but I'm not planning on ever driving a car here, so lots of information online are mixing both procedures.

@Jlgarbutt Yes, but has anyone ever considered that you have lived in Vietnam for 10 years and your home country license has expired. You do not have a residence outside of Vietnam anymore.

@Jlgarbutt Yes, but has anyone ever considered that you have lived in Vietnam for 10 years and your home country license has expired. You do not have a residence outside of Vietnam anymore.
-@Joseph Herrmann

are you using tourist visas or are you here on some sort of extended TRC?

As far as i've seen 30 day tourist can not convert home licence they require you to have 3 months or more on visa/VEC/TRC & home licence before issuing a VN licence.

If you dont have a home licence to convert or 3 month + paperwork then the only legal way is do the test or get another home licence.

There is a "lifetime" licence (Bike) but that is not connected to home licence.

To get a VN car licence if no home licence you would do the VN car driving test and exam which is all in VN with VN examiners.

I was told a bike 50CC or under you don't need a driver's license?

I was told a bike 50CC or under you don't need a driver's license?
-@Svho

Correct 50cc & e-bike no licence  which is why all the school kids zip around on them to school and back our eldest 14 now has been riding e-bike since 11 and 50cc since last year.

Great . I rode moto bike when I visited Vietnam in 1998 but didn't two months ago. Just seeing the autos mixed with moto is a bit crazy -haha

Well lets be clear on the E-Bike thing. The real rule is an E-Bike with less than a 4k watt motor and goes less than 50km/hr do not require a license. There are plenty of E-Bikes in Saigon that require an A-1 license. I know because I am specifically looking at them. The 2 big ones I am interested in are the Dat Bike Weaver ++ that goes 100km/hr with a 7k watt motor and the Vinfast Feliz S that goes 80km/hr and a 3000 watt motor.

Well lets be clear on the E-Bike thing. The real rule is an E-Bike with less than a 4k watt motor and goes less than 50km/hr do not require a license. There are plenty of E-Bikes in Saigon that require an A-1 license. I know because I am specifically looking at them. The 2 big ones I am interested in are the Dat Bike Weaver ++ that goes 100km/hr with a 7k watt motor and the Vinfast Feliz S that goes 80km/hr and a 3000 watt motor.
-@jrharvey

Correct the school student type are with pedal or small motor, no blue card or plate, the big full size bikes have blue card and plates. Vinfast also has a smaller one which security ride around on some with and some without plates so there must be 2 motor sizes.

Well lets be clear on the E-Bike thing. The real rule is an E-Bike with less than a 4k watt motor and goes less than 50km/hr do not require a license. There are plenty of E-Bikes in Saigon that require an A-1 license. I know because I am specifically looking at them. The 2 big ones I am interested in are the Dat Bike Weaver ++ that goes 100km/hr with a 7k watt motor and the Vinfast Feliz S that goes 80km/hr and a 3000 watt motor.
-@jrharvey

Thank you, jrharvey, for that. I'd like to update this post to include info on the wattage/speed restrictions for licensing e-bikes. Should you have a link (or if the dealer provides you with some documentation), please post it here. We'd very much appreciate it. You'll notice that the infographic in my link doesn't even mention e-bike licensing.

I'm curious as to the costs for the bikes you mentioned, the Weaver and the Feliz S.

Also, what prompted you to want to go electric?

Well lets be clear on the E-Bike thing. The real rule is an E-Bike with less than a 4k watt motor and goes less than 50km/hr do not require a license. There are plenty of E-Bikes in Saigon that require an A-1 license. I know because I am specifically looking at them. The 2 big ones I am interested in are the Dat Bike Weaver ++ that goes 100km/hr with a 7k watt motor and the Vinfast Feliz S that goes 80km/hr and a 3000 watt motor.
-@jrharvey

Thank you, jrharvey, for that. I'd like to update this post if you have a link to info on the wattage/speed restrictions for licensing e-bikes, should you have one (or if the dealer provides you with some documentation). We'd very much appreciate it. You'll notice in the link that the infographic doesn't even mention e-bike licensing.

Also, I'm curious as to the costs for the bikes you mentioned, the Weaver and the Feliz S.
Also, what prompted you to want to go electric?
-@Aidan in HCMC

There are several classifications under one umbrella "E-bike"

There is Electric-Bicycle with pedals small motor which can include folding bikes with motors and bicycles converted with an electric motor

Electric-bicycle no pedals small motor

These are the type students typically use because no licence is required or anyone who does not have a A1/A2 motorcycle licence.

Then there is Electric-Scooters/Electric-Motorcycles no pedals bigger motors that require blue book, plate and licence as @jrharvey pointed out.

There are several classifications under one umbrella "E-bike"

There is Electric-Bicycle with pedals small motor which can include folding bikes with motors and bicycles converted with an electric motor
Electric-bicycle no pedals small motor

These are the type students typically use because no licence is required or anyone who does not have a A1/A2 motorcycle licence.

Then there is Electric-Scooters/Electric-Motorcycles no pedals bigger motors that require blue book, plate and licence as @jrharvey pointed out.
-@AndyHCMC

Agreed, and makes perfect sense to me.

I was hoping we could find a link to an official site which we could post here or point members to, showing restrictions on the different styles/classes of e-bikes. I looked, but didn't see one (yet).

Well lets be clear on the E-Bike thing. The real rule is an E-Bike with less than a 4k watt motor and goes less than 50km/hr do not require a license. There are plenty of E-Bikes in Saigon that require an A-1 license. I know because I am specifically looking at them. The 2 big ones I am interested in are the Dat Bike Weaver ++ that goes 100km/hr with a 7k watt motor and the Vinfast Feliz S that goes 80km/hr and a 3000 watt motor.
-@jrharvey

Thank you, jrharvey, for that. I'd like to update this post if you have a link to info on the wattage/speed restrictions for licensing e-bikes, should you have one (or if the dealer provides you with some documentation). We'd very much appreciate it. You'll notice in the link that the infographic doesn't even mention e-bike licensing.

Also, I'm curious as to the costs for the bikes you mentioned, the Weaver and the Feliz S.
Also, what prompted you to want to go electric?
-@Aidan in HCMC
There are several classifications under one umbrella "E-bike"

There is Electric-Bicycle with pedals small motor which can include folding bikes with motors and bicycles converted with an electric motor
Electric-bicycle no pedals small motor

These are the type students typically use because no licence is required or anyone who does not have a A1/A2 motorcycle licence.

Then there is Electric-Scooters/Electric-Motorcycles no pedals bigger motors that require blue book, plate and licence as @jrharvey pointed out.
-@AndyHCMC

As a Vietnam "expert" you should have put all these follow up posts to cover your first statement in bold below,  not as a follow up cos someone corrected you on it. A case in point & warning to everyone who reads these posts on the Forum & take them as the truth!.....be careful!

Correct 50cc & e-bike no licence  which is why all the school kids zip around on them to school and back our eldest 14 now has been riding e-bike since 11 and 50cc since last year.

Well lets be clear on the E-Bike thing. The real rule is an E-Bike with less than a 4k watt motor and goes less than 50km/hr do not require a license. There are plenty of E-Bikes in Saigon that require an A-1 license. I know because I am specifically looking at them. The 2 big ones I am interested in are the Dat Bike Weaver ++ that goes 100km/hr with a 7k watt motor and the Vinfast Feliz S that goes 80km/hr and a 3000 watt motor.
-@jrharvey

Thank you, jrharvey, for that. I'd like to update this post to include info on the wattage/speed restrictions for licensing e-bikes. Should you have a link (or if the dealer provides you with some documentation), please post it here. We'd very much appreciate it. You'll notice that the infographic in my link doesn't even mention e-bike licensing.

I'm curious as to the costs for the bikes you mentioned, the Weaver and the Feliz S.
Also, what prompted you to want to go electric?
-@Aidan in HCMC

So to be honest finding out the exact restrictions in writing was extremely difficult. I only know because I have spoken to Dat Bike and Vinfast directly and received info on the "law" from them. I was hoping to avoid getting an A1 license by going electric but all the ones I wanted required an A1. Im not sure where to find the actual written law on this.

The Dat Bike Weaver costs roughly 66 million vnd. I test rode one and it scoots lol. It is pretty fast like a legit motorcycle. I thought it would have required an A2 but the manufacturer claims you only need an A1. This was the one I wanted for a long time but I am also balancing comfort for my wife, costs and the charging infrastructure. I love the style of this. I have always wanted a cafe racer and the fact that this is made right here in saigon is so cool. It feels really high end in my opinion. It also charges absurdly quick. The problem with Dat Bike is that they dont work with the Vinfast charging infrastructure (that I am aware of). Thats a big thing. The other big thing is although my wife loves the bike's looks she doesnt enjoy riding on it and she will refuse to drive it.

dat.bike

Vinfast is kinda like the tesla scooter of vietnam. They are everywhere now. They have a bunch of different models now but I just happen to like the Feliz S. Just the styling is more typical of a Honda Vision. They have a few that look like a Vespa but thats not my type of thing although my wife loves those. Chargers are everywhere in Saigon. Usually in a vincom or vinhomes or anything vin. Theres also a lot of random chargers on country streets. Price is about 30 million but with this bike you have to "rent" the battery. Im told the first year is free but after that you pay something like 350k a month. You can straight up buy the battery but its like 20 million. It makes sense to just rent if you get that first year free.

The Vinfast Evo 200 is a bike I am seeing a lot in saigon. It is their newest bike but I already see them everywhere. Maybe because its only 22 million vnd. It has the styling of the smaller vespa so maybe thats another reason people like them so much.

There are a lot of reasons I want to go with these bikes.

#1 convenience. I dont take long trips so getting around the city shouldnt be an issue. Just bring it home, plug it in and its good for a week or so. I have been renting a Vinfast Klara S for a few years now and I love it. It is comfortable, convenient and super quiet. The Klara S is not very fast. It tops out around 48km/hr and only has a 1200 watt motor but you dont need a license. Its still fast enough for Saigon though. The other bikes I listed go quite a bit faster and perfect for city driving, even highway driving.

#2 I just want to support a vietnam company when i see something good. I think both products are great and pretty high quality so Id rather support them than another manufacturer.

#3 Noise and polution is a problem in the city. Both these really help that and gotta start somewhere.

#4 Technology is pretty cool in these. Both have a phone app and the dat bike doesnt even have a key. Just uses your phone or a card sensor to activate. I would say its like a Tesla but in a moped form.

#5 I hate gas stations. I dont know what it is but every time I decide to go it takes 20 minutes to get through the line. Maybe I always go at the wrong times but such a waste.

Thats just my two cents.

Well lets be clear on the E-Bike thing. The real rule is an E-Bike with less than a 4k watt motor and goes less than 50km/hr do not require a license. There are plenty of E-Bikes in Saigon that require an A-1 license. I know because I am specifically looking at them. The 2 big ones I am interested in are the Dat Bike Weaver ++ that goes 100km/hr with a 7k watt motor and the Vinfast Feliz S that goes 80km/hr and a 3000 watt motor.
-@jrharvey

That's insane power. In Canada, you're limited to 500W and 32KM/h. (for the unlicensed ones)

Vinfast is kinda like the tesla scooter of vietnam. They are everywhere now. They have a bunch of different models now but I just happen to like the Feliz S. Just the styling is more typical of a Honda Vision. They have a few that look like a Vespa but thats not my type of thing although my wife loves those. Chargers are everywhere in Saigon. Usually in a vincom or vinhomes or anything vin. Theres also a lot of random chargers on country streets. Price is about 30 million but with this bike you have to "rent" the battery. Im told the first year is free but after that you pay something like 350k a month. You can straight up buy the battery but its like 20 million. It makes sense to just rent if you get that first year free.

Wow this bike looks amazing. The problem I'm seeing is that if you want to charge it "at home" and you live in a building where the parking is underground, I'm not sure they'd let you "steal" their electricity overnight right? So in some contexts you're quite limited with charging options, having to go to a Vincom Centre every time would be a pain I think.

@WillyBaldy I can see how charging is an issue. Right now I am renting a Vinfast Klara S which is basically like a 50cc motorbike but the battries can be taken out and charged up in your apartment. I have checked with our landlord and he is totally fine with us charging a bike downstairs if I get one that requires it. It doesnt take a lot of power. I also think its possible to talk to the landlord and see if they would be ok with it for a small fee. I can totally see building owners wanting to charge for that here in Saigon. That is one unfortunate drawback to having an electric motorbike here in Saigon is stingy landlords not wanting you to take their power.