Long term solution converting US B1 license to VN A1 license

Get a spousal TRC which lasts for three years, therefore, your license will last 3-years.

@colinoscapee Tried that already. I was told I needed to reside in vietnam for at least a year and since we go back and forth on a regular basis the 5 year visa exemption was my best option. Is this info wrong?

well i had no problem changing from a VEC to a TRC, as long as your VEC is over 1 year there is no problem.

I received my first Vietnamese license for both auto and bike back in 2008 from Saigon.  Since 2008, I've only had 3 Vietnamese license...it was to expire in 2012 when my passport expired. I had several Visa's and two TRC's from 2007 to 2012 living in Saigon.  I moved to DaNang in 2012 and renewed both my passport and my Vietnamese license.  to expire in 2022...when my passport expired (2nd license).  In November 2020, I renewed my passport still living in DaNang and after receiving filled out paperwork for a new bike license (w/no auto).  I had not renewed my auto.  Within a week I had my new bike license which they 'remarked' non expires...life time...I've had an Exemption Visa, and again on my 2nd TRC for three years...I do not know where you are getting the information from and if you really desire to do it correct; I'd go online and look up the DOT law on foreigners with spouse and EV/TRC.  Then I would send a letter to the Department of Transportation (DOT) in Hanoi with your story and copies of such along with copies of your own documents...afterwards, go into the Saigon office and don't ask, tell them to get their act together.  I had to do the same here in DaNang due to my old license had both bike and auto and my new app was only for the bike.  My bike test was in the Saigon and DaNang  computers and I had to send a letter to the DOT in Hanoi as I knew from their law as to what was correct.  I'd have to dig up the exact laws that I sent and jumped up and down about...but I still have them.

@colinoscapee Tried that already. I was told I needed to reside in vietnam for at least a year and since we go back and forth on a regular basis the 5 year visa exemption was my best option. Is this info wrong?
-@jrharvey

Who told you that?

If you have an address where you are registered with police there should be no issues. If you are staying at a hotel, then thats a different story.

why would you have to update your license every 6 months?  You get one license that will expire the earliest of:

Your passport

Your US license

Your VEC - the end date not the date of your six month stay.

I"m on a VEC and my VN B1/A2 expires the same date as my US license which is in 2024.  No limitation by a six month visa stay limit.

My friend from Australia went to get B1 on a VEC he only got 6 months

Maybe no fixed address here or was apartment for only a month.

@colinoscapee I had multiple visa agents tell me this. I do have a permanent address since we use my wife's parents house. I have also seen this talked about on Youtube when I did a lot of research a few years ago. The TRC is for "living" in vietnam which I believe the minimum requirements is being in the country at least 6 months out of the year. Since my wife had to be in the US 6 months out of the year to keep her green card we were told the 5 year visa exemption was best. The agent we used to get my 5 year visa exemption use to work for the embassy. IDK in reality what the REAL rules are, this is just what we were told.

@SteinNebraska I was thinking that my license would last another 3 years since thats how much time I have on my VEC but when I was at the DOT office they told me it would only last 6 months because I had to leave the country 6 months after arrival. My B1 expires 6 months after I got it. I saw your other post a few years back asking how you renew a license. Did you ever figure that out? I guess that is my biggest concern. I dont mind simply renewing my license every 6 months but I dont want to have to go through ALL the steps all over again with the health check and the driving test. Im studying for the theory test now but my god this is difficult without knowing the language lol.

@AndyHCMC I have a fixed address. We use my wife's parents address which is permanent.

@colinoscapee I had multiple visa agents tell me this. I do have a permanent address since we use my wife's parents house. I have also seen this talked about on Youtube when I did a lot of research a few years ago. The TRC is for "living" in vietnam which I believe the minimum requirements is being in the country at least 6 months out of the year. Since my wife had to be in the US 6 months out of the year to keep her green card we were told the 5 year visa exemption was best. The agent we used to get my 5 year visa exemption use to work for the embassy. IDK in reality what the REAL rules are, this is just what we were told.
-@jrharvey

The government is cracking down on a lot of things lately including visas and banking, so it wouldn't be a surprise if they are also cracking down on driver's licenses.

"Cracking down" can mean keeping a close watch for clerks taking a bribe, adhering strictly to rules that weren't always followed in the past or following new directives from on high.

That's the problem with visas right now.

There's still a law on the books describing the legal use of multiple-month visas, but the word has come down from on high that until sometime in the unknowable future, only 30 day visas will be allowed for tourists.

The other problem can be the province where a person applies or even the clerk behind the desk.

There are agencies that advertise they can help with such things, and I am almost certain that a part of the fee you pay goes to coffee money for some agreeable clerk.

It's also important to point out that a VEC does not confer "residency", but rather a permission to remain until the end of the 6 month period.

Sadly, people discovered this during covid, when those staying here on a VEC were treated much worse than people living here on TRCs.

My overall point being that it's probably true that there have been people who have gotten a liberal interpretation of residency and been allowed to register their license for the entire length that they have remaining on their 5-year VEC and not being limited to their current permission to stay.

But with the government tightening down on things, a more conservative interpretation of residency is probably being applied.

@SteinNebraska I saw your other post a few years back asking how you renew a license. Did you ever figure that out?
-@jrharvey

To be completely honest, I don't recall.  My wife did it for me, other than I show up for a picture.  I think there was another reply in that post that said yes, you have to do it all again.  Pretty sure I had to do that as well.

I really don't see why the DOT would say that to you but it is Vietnam.  If you don't like the answer you receive go back again and ask someone else.  Their interpretation very well will be different and you get another answer, maybe the one you are looking for.  Did you tell them that you are here for 6 mo and going home for 6 mo?  They may then want to limit it for some silly reason.  It is also possible that they gave mine for the whole term because i renewed during the lockdown so they knew I was not likely to be going anywhere.  I don't know.

@OceanBeach92107 Talk about cracking down. My wifes cousins husband from australia had a random visit from the police to verify that he was ACTUALLY staying at the address he listed. I havent had that happen personally but they said they do these random routine checks. He happened to not be traveling or anything that day but just got lucky because they went all over from Da Lat to Ha Noi and all over. Not sure what they would do if he wasnt there.

@colinoscapee I had multiple visa agents tell me this. I do have a permanent address since we use my wife's parents house. I have also seen this talked about on Youtube when I did a lot of research a few years ago. The TRC is for "living" in vietnam which I believe the minimum requirements is being in the country at least 6 months out of the year. Since my wife had to be in the US 6 months out of the year to keep her green card we were told the 5 year visa exemption was best. The agent we used to get my 5 year visa exemption use to work for the embassy. IDK in reality what the REAL rules are, this is just what we were told.
-@jrharvey

Laws must have changed. Im on my third TRC and never had those issues. Looks like the guys snd gals in the VN govt are making life difficult again.