A Vietnamese driving licence: exchange yours, or take the test from scratch
An international permit settles the question for a while: a Vienna Convention permit with category A1 is valid, but only together with your national licence, and for a tourist that is enough. If you are staying for months, a Vietnamese licence is simpler: one card instead of a pair of documents, and fewer questions from the police and from rental shops. Since 1 July 2026 exchanges and tests are handled by the traffic police, not the transport department — the procedure is set out in Ministry of Public Security circular 108/2026.
Who can exchange a licence
- A foreigner who lives, works or studies in Vietnam and holds a visa or a temporary residence card valid for 90 days or more. Under the new rules a long visa is enough — previously a card was required.
- Only your own country's national licence is exchanged. An international permit — IDP or IAA — is not: it is a translation, not a licence in its own right.
- You will be refused if the licence is not in your hands and cannot be seen in the police database, if it has expired or is damaged, and also if you have an unpaid fine on record.
What to bring
- The application — in person at a traffic police office, or online through the licence services portal dvc4.gplx.gov.vn. The portal only lets you in with VNeID, the Vietnamese digital ID.
- Your national licence and its translation into Vietnamese, certified by a Vietnamese notary or by a Vietnamese consulate back home.
- Your passport with the visa, or your temporary residence card.
- A health certificate from a licensed clinic — now electronic; a paper one is accepted only if the system is down. In Da Lat it is issued at Hoan My and at the Phương Nam medical centre.
What it costs and how long it takes
| Exchanging your own | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tuition | not needed |
| Exams | none |
| Health certificate | 200–400k ₫ |
| Card fee | 115k ₫ |
| Total | 300–500k ₫ plus the translation |
| Waiting time | 2.5 working days after the papers are accepted |
If you take the test from scratch
| From scratch | A1, up to 125 cc | A, over 125 cc | B, car |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition | 400–800k ₫ | 1.4–2.1M ₫ | 15–22M ₫ |
| Exams | theory 60k + course 70k ₫ | theory 60k + course 70k ₫ | included in the course price |
| Health certificate | 200–400k ₫ | 200–400k ₫ | 200–400k ₫ |
| Card fee | 115k ₫ | 115k ₫ | 115k ₫ |
| Total | 950k – 1.2M ₫ | 1.7–2.4M ₫ | 15–22M ₫ |
| Waiting time | no later than 7 working days after the exam | no later than 7 working days after the exam | 3–5 months including the course |
The exam is taken in Vietnamese
A foreigner may take the test from scratch: you need to have lived in Vietnam for at least three months and to prove it with a document. But the theory is a computer test in Vietnamese, you have to read and understand the language yourself, and interpreters are not allowed into the exam. That is why those who already hold a licence at home almost always go the exchange route.
What a Vietnamese licence gives you
- One card instead of a pair of documents: an international permit is only valid together with your national licence, a Vietnamese one stands on its own.
- Under the law in force, motorcycle categories are issued with no expiry date, and the car category B is valid for ten years.
- There are two motorcycle categories: A1 — up to 125 cc and up to 11 kW for an electric bike, A — anything more powerful. A rental scooter and most rental bikes fall under A1; for a Honda Rebel, a CB500 or anything similar you need A. On exchange the category is not downgraded: if a heavy motorcycle is open on your home licence, the Vietnamese one will be issued for it.
- In an accident the insurer looks at the category. With a Vietnamese licence the argument about whether your international permit counts simply does not arise.
Applying online will not work for everyone
You can only file through the portal with VNeID, the Vietnamese digital ID. A foreigner is issued one at a district police station within 5–7 working days, and until 28 September 2026 that requires three documents at once: a passport, a work permit and a temporary residence card. Someone on a ninety-day visa will not be given VNeID for now, and without it the portal does not let you in — which means the papers are filed in person only.
Where to go in Da Lat
Exchanges and exams are handled by the provincial traffic police office — Phòng CSGT Công an tỉnh Lâm Đồng. If you ask for it in the application, the finished card is delivered by post, so there is no need to collect it in person. We have not yet checked the Da Lat address and opening hours with our own eyes: if you go, write in the comments and we will add them to the article.
The procedure and the deadlines follow Ministry of Public Security circular 108/2026, in force since 1 July 2026. The 115k ₫ fee comes from Ministry of Finance circular 154/2025, in force since 1 January 2026; many sites still quote the old figure of 135k. Course and health certificate prices are the range charged by Vietnamese driving schools as of August 2026 and may differ in Da Lat. The VNeID rules for foreigners follow decree 69/2024 and amendment 320/2026 of 13 August 2026. Checked on 16 August 2026.
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