Getting your Driving and Motorbike License in Vietnam

Hi dathancna,

wow, it's nice to finally find an up-to-date post on this subject.

I want to change my driver's license too, right now my company has to sign and stamp the application form.

One question: Do you know the opening hours of the translation office (in 47 Le Duan Street, District 1) and the transportation office (in 252 Ly Chinh Thang Street, District 3)?
I can't find them online.

Thank you very much!

skyscraper903

Actually that is how things work in Saigon, here in Vung Tau all my brother did was supply some passport pics, handed over his Aussie license and within a week a VN license.All comes down to wher you actually get your license done.

I'm not very sure about the opening hours of the government offices. Maybe some of the other guys can advice on this. But from my experience, just remember that if you are going in the morning do get there around 9am to 10am. And I think in the afternoon you should go between 2pm to 4pm. You know the government offices here. They start to get grouchy after 11 because its close to lunch time and start showing you attitude.

Then they have a long long lunch break and after which they just work for 2 hours and prepare to go home. So if you visit them after 4pm, they will not be very happy again and start giving you attitude. But these 2 places at Le Duan and Ly Chinh Thang were pretty nice I must say. The best government service among all that I have been to. And it sometimes depends quite a bit on luck as wel?. They might not want to process your documents for some unknown or known reasons but process the next guy's documents who might also lack what you are lacking.

Anyway good luck with getting yours. All should go well if you follow the instruction closely. Lastly, drive safe!

Thanks for the information dathancna.

I'll go there to translate my current license this Thursday and hopefully will arrive early in the afternoon.
I'll tell what happened

Sure! Hope everything goes well for you and do let us know if you face any problems. Might be helpful for the others guys as well. Good luck!

Yes, drive carefully or ride cautiously is the catchword. Seems to be lots more CS around these days. Whether its to really enforce or just to be watchful who they can 'earn' enough from for  half a Month's  salary! Even have radar speed traps along Nguyen Van Linh and I saw some taxi guys got caught!! That's on a Sunday.

Oh that's not a new thing
It's end of month, so they need to collect maximum to get salary!

Sploke77 wrote:

Seems to be lots more CS around these days. Whether its to really enforce or just to be watchful who they can 'earn' enough from for  half a Month's  salary! Even have radar speed traps along Nguyen Van Linh and I saw some taxi guys got caught!! That's on a Sunday.

charmavietnam wrote:

Oh that's not a new thing
It's end of month, so they need to collect maximum to get salary!

Sploke77 wrote:

Seems to be lots more CS around these days. Whether its to really enforce or just to be watchful who they can 'earn' enough from for  half a Month's  salary! Even have radar speed traps along Nguyen Van Linh and I saw some taxi guys got caught!! That's on a Sunday.

Or to recover their gambling losses

They also need enough money to pay for the bike rental from the colonel.

Oh come on now...  If you worked with the public constantly having to deal with whiny spoil teens that......

I'm trying to find the video but it was a CLASSIC! Okay found it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ4oelwZWBU

And the CSGT wa very professional too.  I'd give him a medal. 

Or bus drivers that try to run you over forcing you to cling onto the windshield wipers for your life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxVuAmP1P7o


You'd be entitled to some hazardous duty too!.

I would like to know how to get drivers license if I do not have in my own country

You will need to do the practical and theory tests.

gocarp77 wrote:

I would like to know how to get drivers license if I do not have in my own country

colinoscapee wrote:

You will need to do the practical and theory tests.

Haha SIX, your answer is true.

gocarp77, you can just wait and someone will come along to spam a service for you.  It'll probably cost you 1 million VND.  I think the theory will be hard since it requires you to know how to READ Vietnamese.

Thx, that will help  !

gocarp77 wrote:

Thx, that will help  !

Sorry, I should have said "if you make a new THREAD, asking how to get a Vietnamese Driver's License if you do not have one in your home country, then someone will come along to spam a service for you.  It'll probably cost you 1 million VND."

Since your request is buried in this thread, many spammers won't see it.

Hi everybody,

I finally got everything translated.

As dathancna told us, the adress of the translation office is
47 Le Duan Street, District 1.

I took a picture of the opening hours, but as I can't upload anything, I'll write them down. This information is from November 5th, 2013.

1) Working Time: 5 times a week, Monday - Friday
   - Morning:    7:30 - 11:30
   - Afternoon: 13:00 - 17:00
   Saturday (receipt and result-giving section)
   - Morning:    7:30 - 11:30
2) Show civilized lifestyle in the office
   - polite Clothes, no shorts, no sleeveless dress
3) Keep public order and hygiene
4) All ideas for contribution and suggestions should be [...] suggestion box at the office.

Sorry, last sentence is not complete on the picture.

My next step is to go to the transportation office. Will check the opening hours too.

My brother will visit in February. I want to get him a driver's license too BUT ideally BEFORE he arrives.
I saw some services online; they can arrange everything before you arrive here, but they are expensive. Does anybody of you know how they get it done without the original documents but only the copies?

Thanks in advance!

skyscraper903 wrote:

My brother will visit in February. I want to get him a driver's license too BUT ideally BEFORE he arrives.
I saw some services online; they can arrange everything before you arrive here, but they are expensive. Does anybody of you know how they get it done without the original documents but only the copies?

Thanks in advance!

if your brother is only coming for a short visit then the advantage of having it ready for him in advance is obvious. Cost? Well many things can happen in VN when money changes hands.

dathancna wrote:

He will then ask you to proceed to make payment of 135.000 VND at another counter.

Thats a huge increase on the 30,000dong I paid for mine in 2009 and again in 2012 to replace the old one that went through the washing machine.
Is it the new plastic creditcard style license?

colinoscapee wrote:

Actually that is how things work in Saigon, here in Vung Tau all my brother did was supply some passport pics, handed over his Aussie license and within a week a VN license.All comes down to wher you actually get your license done.

I changed my  Aus Car/ Semi truck licence last year here, everything went quite smoothly, ( even had a machine where you took a number and waited to be called, but it broke down after a while, so it was back to the usual push, push, shove at the counter ), then I went to pick up my licence a few days later, only a Car licence, ( I was told I can drive a truck/bus here ), then I see the expiry date is the Aus expiry date, also I am now an Aussie Citizen, ( they had photocopies of my NZ Passport, and to top it off, the morons omitted my Surname??????? ).
  The motorbike licence, a few months later, was almost as exciting, after waiting 3 hours, ( apparently they mustn't have been able to pronounce my name or something, but I never heard it called out ), they wait until they have about 200 applicants for this test, some do the theory test before the practical test, I was finally called in, the forms were in Viet, the wife was beside me, but she was told off twice not to help me, but they must have seen the smoke coming out of my ears, and the muttered swearing, so eventually the paperwork was done, then it was out to the Figure 8 course and a quick blat around it , ( watched by the usual 50 - 100 people ),  over a few shudder type bars and that was it, didn't know if I'd passed or not, went back a week later and picked up my new licence, separate, can't have everything on the one licence, ( might lose it? ), But at least it had my full name on it, but I'm still an Ausie.

bluenz wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Actually that is how things work in Saigon, here in Vung Tau all my brother did was supply some passport pics, handed over his Aussie license and within a week a VN license.All comes down to wher you actually get your license done.

I changed my  Aus Car/ Semi truck licence last year here, everything went quite smoothly, ( even had a machine where you took a number and waited to be called, but it broke down after a while, so it was back to the usual push, push, shove at the counter ), then I went to pick up my licence a few days later, only a Car licence, ( I was told I can drive a truck/bus here ), then I see the expiry date is the Aus expiry date, also I am now an Aussie Citizen, ( they had photocopies of my NZ Passport, and to top it off, the morons omitted my Surname??????? ).
  The motorbike licence, a few months later, was almost as exciting, after waiting 3 hours, ( apparently they mustn't have been able to pronounce my name or something, but I never heard it called out ), they wait until they have about 200 applicants for this test, some do the theory test before the practical test, I was finally called in, the forms were in Viet, the wife was beside me, but she was told off twice not to help me, but they must have seen the smoke coming out of my ears, and the muttered swearing, so eventually the paperwork was done, then it was out to the Figure 8 course and a quick blat around it , ( watched by the usual 50 - 100 people ),  over a few shudder type bars and that was it, didn't know if I'd passed or not, went back a week later and picked up my new licence, separate, can't have everything on the one licence, ( might lose it? ), But at least it had my full name on it, but I'm still an Ausie.

Oh man you had the theory?  That sucks.  I converted my US auto license to a Vietnamese B1 license.  Then after I already had a Vietnamese license, the place told me I didn't need to do a theory.  So for my Motorbike A1, I just had to drive in a figure 8 (practical).  The thought is, if you already got a Vietnamese license, you obviously took the theory (road sign knowledge) or have knowledge of road rules so why take it again?.

hope I don't have to go through all that hoopla. I have a full motorcycle and car license in Canada.

Tran Hung Dao wrote:

bluenz wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Actually that is how things work in Saigon, here in Vung Tau all my brother did was supply some passport pics, handed over his Aussie license and within a week a VN license.All comes down to wher you actually get your license done.

I changed my  Aus Car/ Semi truck licence last year here, everything went quite smoothly, ( even had a machine where you took a number and waited to be called, but it broke down after a while, so it was back to the usual push, push, shove at the counter ), then I went to pick up my licence a few days later, only a Car licence, ( I was told I can drive a truck/bus here ), then I see the expiry date is the Aus expiry date, also I am now an Aussie Citizen, ( they had photocopies of my NZ Passport, and to top it off, the morons omitted my Surname??????? ).
  The motorbike licence, a few months later, was almost as exciting, after waiting 3 hours, ( apparently they mustn't have been able to pronounce my name or something, but I never heard it called out ), they wait until they have about 200 applicants for this test, some do the theory test before the practical test, I was finally called in, the forms were in Viet, the wife was beside me, but she was told off twice not to help me, but they must have seen the smoke coming out of my ears, and the muttered swearing, so eventually the paperwork was done, then it was out to the Figure 8 course and a quick blat around it , ( watched by the usual 50 - 100 people ),  over a few shudder type bars and that was it, didn't know if I'd passed or not, went back a week later and picked up my new licence, separate, can't have everything on the one licence, ( might lose it? ), But at least it had my full name on it, but I'm still an Ausie.

Oh man you had the theory?  That sucks.  I converted my US auto license to a Vietnamese B1 license.  Then after I already had a Vietnamese license, the place told me I didn't need to do a theory.  So for my Motorbike A1, I just had to drive in a figure 8 (practical).  The thought is, if you already got a Vietnamese license, you obviously took the theory (road sign knowledge) or have knowledge of road rules so why take it again?.

No it wasn't the actual theory test , just some other crap I had to fill out, but it was in Viet, that's why I was fuming, ( the 3 hours standing waiting in the drizzle, didn't help either ), what was the big deal about my wife helping me?

khanh44 wrote:

hope I don't have to go through all that hoopla. I have a full motorcycle and car license in Canada.

If you have a full motorcycle and car licence it's ' only ' a matter of transferring them over.

bluenz wrote:

No it wasn't the actual theory test , just some other crap I had to fill out, but it was in Viet, that's why I was fuming, ( the 3 hours standing waiting in the drizzle, didn't help either ), what was the big deal about my wife helping me?

Right...so that's why it makes me think it's a test.  If it was just like an application or whatever, they shouldn't care if you have an interpreter to help you fill out the application/form.

Yah, I've gotten used to accepting the fact that something that can be done in one hour usually takes 1 day.  So you go there with a bag of popcorn and have a good time.

just some little quirk but my mom couldn't pass the motorcycle written exam in Canada because she didn't know English well enough despite 30 years living in Canada lol. But you passed the Vietnamese one without knowing to read any Vietnamese. That's awesome!

Tran Hung Dao wrote:

bluenz wrote:

No it wasn't the actual theory test , just some other crap I had to fill out, but it was in Viet, that's why I was fuming, ( the 3 hours standing waiting in the drizzle, didn't help either ), what was the big deal about my wife helping me?

Right...so that's why it makes me think it's a test.  If it was just like an application or whatever, they shouldn't care if you have an interpreter to help you fill out the application/form.

Yah, I've gotten used to accepting the fact that something that can be done in one hour usually takes 1 day.  So you go there with a bag of popcorn and have a good time.

Worst part about living here is that I've started to spin jobs out too, definitely a really bad habit to get into, but not as bad as my French friend, I told him., ' never put off doing something you can do today , until tomorrow, he said the French say , ' try and put off doing a job, until tomorrow, in the hope some other mug will do it for you, today '.

khanh44 wrote:

just some little quirk but my mom couldn't pass the motorcycle written exam in Canada because she didn't know English well enough despite 30 years living in Canada lol. But you passed the Vietnamese one without knowing to read any Vietnamese. That's awesome!

If you don't have a car licence already, you will have to sit a full Licence test, ( Motorcycle or car, theory, in Viet, no interpreter allowed ).
  If I go back to Aus or NZ , I was thinking about taking my VN licence in to get changed , ( for a laugh ), but I see Licences from certain countries, ( mainly Asian), are not accepted in Aus/NZ, gee, I can't think why?

funny thing is my mom has a full Canadian car license for over 20 years but she was still forced to take a written test for motorcycle. 

but yeah Asian drivers are notorious over here for being bad drivers that cause many accidents but are good at avoiding accidents.

khanh44 wrote:

funny thing is my mom has a full Canadian car license for over 20 years but she was still forced to take a written test for motorcycle. 

but yeah Asian drivers are notorious over here for being bad drivers that cause many accidents but are good at avoiding accidents.

Asians are notorious drivers everywhere it seems, ( maybe  the cushion they sit on, keeps moving, so they have trouble reaching the pedals and seeing over the dashboard? ),.
In Aus/Nz written, practical tests are also required for motorcycles. ( Even if you have a car licence ).
For me to change my Aus Heavy traffic licence in NZ, I have to do a written test, but not vice versa, ( as of 2003, may have changed since ), but in NZ I can drive a B Double, ( A is the first trailer behind the prime mover, B is a longer trailer that sits on the rear axles of the A trailer ), in Aus I can only drive up to 44 tons total weight, ( one trailer ).

Hi Khanh,

Bluenz is correct. I had my Ontario driver's licence (car and motorcycle) converted to Vietnamese driver's license in July this year. You just need to have the driver's license "translated". If I remember correctly, you would also need a couple of photos and  proof of your temporary residence (which I didn't even have). It's a credit card type of card. The back of it would list both your motorcycle and automobile driving privileges. The expiry date is the same as your Alberta driver's license expiry date. I don't remember how much the fee was but it's not that much. Also, I think it takes at least a week after submitting the forms. So, you may want to get it started as soon as you land.

TC.

TC0088 wrote:

Hi Khanh,

Bluenz is correct. I had my Ontario driver's licence (car and motorcycle) converted to Vietnamese driver's license in July this year. You just need to have the driver's license "translated". If I remember correctly, you would also need a couple of photos and  proof of your temporary residence (which I didn't even have). It's a credit card type of card. The back of it would list both your motorcycle and automobile driving privileges. The expiry date is the same as your Alberta driver's license expiry date. I don't remember how much the fee was but it's not that much. Also, I think it takes at least a week after submitting the forms. So, you may want to get it started as soon as you land.

TC.

Finally, an advantage for doing something here, my VN Motorcycle licence doesn't have a time limit/expiry date.

HI all,

Does anyone know or where to go to get your driver license's translated?  Please help.

Tin Tin

Corner of Pasteur and Nguyen Du street.
Back in 2009 it cost me 160,000dong so expect a price rise.

They will do English and other common languages at the people's Committee office at 47 Le Duan as mentioned above. Same place you do the certification so will save you time. They will give you a receipt and tell you to collect it the next day. I found it pays to get there just after opening or just after lunch when the queues are less.....you can wait up to 2 hours otherwise when it is busy.

Thanks a lot for the info. My problem is I dont have an International Drivers License. Only a local license issued by our government. Is an International Drivers License a compulsary reqt? Can I not use my country's driver's license instead? Thanks again. I hope you will have patience with me.

You dont need an international license, just use your license from home if it has a motorbike class. You just need to have it translated,then go to your embassy and be witnessed, then take the paperwork to the correct department and bingo.

No need to go to your Embassy or Consulate, in fact only go there if you want to part with more of your $$$....US$20 for a verification stamp, probably much more than that for a translation. All paperwork verification and translation can be done at 47 Le Duan and all for Vietnamese prices - verification about 8,000VND  depending how many pages you have,(yes that's 38 cents compared to $20) and 100,000VND for translation.