Driving licence for foreigner!?

I apologize for the offtopic. I want to ask you for advice. I will arrive in Vietnam in the next 7 days.

I have a valid national license issued from the country of origin (ROMANIA in my case, EU valid) and I want to be able to drive LEGALLY in Vietnam.

I will be a tourist because I will stay in Vietnam for 1 month. Is it possible to obtain an A&B driving license (my license already has valid A&B categories) and to drive legally?

Moreover, would it be possible for me to obtain (in addition to obtaining a driver's license from Vietnam), an International Driving Licence that I intend to use in Bali or the Philippines (my next destinations)?

Thank you very much for your time! I appreciate the help!

Unfortunately, I really did not find information on this subject...

- @Alex_ROM

Aside from the good advice given by Andy, you won't be able to find anyone who will rent a private car to a foreigner without also hiring a Vietnamese driver.

- @OceanBeach92107

I apologize for the offtopic. I want to ask you for advice. I will arrive in Vietnam in the next 7 days.

I have a valid national license issued from the country of origin (ROMANIA in my case, EU valid) and I want to be able to drive LEGALLY in Vietnam.

I will be a tourist because I will stay in Vietnam for 1 month. Is it possible to obtain an A&B driving license (my license already has valid A&B categories) and to drive legally?

Moreover, would it be possible for me to obtain (in addition to obtaining a driver's license from Vietnam), an International Driving Licence that I intend to use in Bali or the Philippines (my next destinations)?

Thank you very much for your time! I appreciate the help!

Unfortunately, I really did not find information on this subject...

- @Alex_ROM

Aside from the good advice given by Andy, you won't be able to find anyone who will rent a private car to a foreigner without also hiring a Vietnamese driver.

- @OceanBeach92107

IF you have a valid VN car licence YES you can hire a car through mioto & zoomcar WITHOUT a driver.

You have to photo passport & VN licence when you register leave 15mill deposit or bike worth over 15mill with valid blue card, helps if you have family book to show owner of car along with bike blue card.

They bring car you check it, you get keys off you go,, reverse happens when hand back.

Done it heaps.

Can hire Vietnam wide.

Have app and website, have google translate to flick it into english.

Tip: hire a car that you can get insurance on  - you can filter on your search,, only a few bucks.

- @Andybris2020

Hi,

Just for anyone interested since i just got my A1 License in HCM city last week and wanted to pass on the procedure of what i went through.

I only had a car license from home and absolutely NO motorcycle experience.

If your like in my case, make sure you at least have 4 months visa minimum before starting the process. Some maybe lucky to get earlier. I suggest this for people with long term visa.

Before starting procedure make sure you have 6 = 3by4 pictures needed for medical and forms at different points during the process.

Also make sure your home license and visa has much needed time because your VN license will be based on the earliest expiry of one of the two. This also is based on luck since i had a friend where his home license expires in 4 months but got his VN license based on his visa for 1 year. In Vietnam it is all about timing and chance i guess..

Forms, passport, Visa, home car license plus notarized copies of all and submit to the centre. They will take pictures and after 10-14 days issue the Vietnamese car license. NO computer test or NO practical test.

Once you get the VN car license card to the hand go and get a medical done.

Once you have the medical results ready, go to the centre with your passport, visa, VN car license and register for the test.

Test day, take your passport, visa and car license, do the figure eight and when passed you will sign a paper immediately after your test and then wait 21 days to get the A1 license card to the hand. And NO you dont do the computer exam since you have a car license from home. DONE

Also for anyone who like convenience, i suggest to go through agents even though its quite expensive and a friend of mine paid 4 million for the whole process with step by step guidance.

Hope it helps someone and apologies for any language errors.

- @naaga7785

@Aidan,

I believe when he said "car licence" he was talking about the converted home-VN car licence which you then use to get the A1 bike licence (175cc)

Years ago you had to do a comp test if you didnt have an overseas bike licence now you get your VN car licence first then no need to do the comp test because they figure if you can drive a car you know what you are doing on the road.

- @Andybris2020

@Aidan,

I believe when he said "car licence" he was talking about the converted home-VN car licence which you then use to get the A1 bike licence (175cc)

Years ago you had to do a comp test if you didnt have an overseas bike licence now you get your VN car licence first then no need to do the comp test because they figure if you can drive a car you know what you are doing on the road.

- @Andybris2020

Ahh, okay, understood. My bad

- @Aidan in HCMC

I only had a car license from home and absolutely NO motorcycle experience.

Hope it helps someone and apologies for any language errors.

- @naaga7785

My comprehension? Not so much

@Aidan in HCMC  thank you…🙂

@Andybris2020 ..thank you and thanks for explaining to AIDEN, i had simply nothing to add to your explanation. Thanks again for the tips as well.

@Andybris2020  so true….actually everyday is an experience when riding in saigon…always something new and sometimes shocking..lol

@Andybris2020 yes …thats an option but when i asked about it they said that i have to do the theory test which is in Vietnamese for A2, which again does not make sense since it was not needed for A1 in my case. Fyi embarrassingly i cannot understand or speak viet other than the basic day to day xin chao & em dep lam stuff 😂😜, quite bad in languages.

@Andybris2020 yes …thats an option but when i asked about it they said that i have to do the theory test which is in Vietnamese for A2, which again does not make sense since it was not needed for A1 in my case. Fyi embarrassingly i cannot understand or speak viet other than the basic day to day xin chao & em dep lam stuff 😂😜, quite bad in languages.

- @naaga7785

@Andybris2020 yes …thats an option but when i asked about it they said that i have to do the theory test which is in Vietnamese for A2, which again does not make sense since it was not needed for A1 in my case. Fyi embarrassingly i cannot understand or speak viet other than the basic day to day xin chao & em dep lam stuff 😂😜, quite bad in languages.

- @naaga7785

I don't know any foriegners that have taken the test for A2 because of the requirement to take the written test in Vietnamese.  Me and everyone else that I have heard of that have A2 got it as easily as you got your A1 because we had a motorcycle endorsement on our home country driver's license.

- @SteinNebraska

Somewhat related, IAA international license is not accepted by Vietnam but IDP (International Driving Permit) is.

https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/202 … 68738.html

- @SteinNebraska

Yep, This guy has ZERO bike experience in home country, converted his car licence to VN then did the A1 bike but still wants the A2, he stated (and I have also heard) that you dont need to do the comp test if you have a VN car licence (i think it changed some time during covid period)  but he confirmed you still have to do comp test for A2, which is a shame.

- @Andybris2020

Yep because converted overseas car licence (with my USA auto license) so you dont need comp test only practical, if NO overseas car licence to convert then you do have to.

- @Andybris2020