Vietnam does not accept the IAA international driving license

DNHN - The fact is that certain persons and organizations promote the IAA driver's license swap service on social networking sites with the claim that it is valid in several countries, including Vietnam.

In Clauses 1 and 2 of Article 3 of the Minister of Transport's Circular No. 29/2015/TT-BGTVT dated July 6, 2015, which explains how to get and use an international driver's license, it says: "An international driver's license is a driving license issued on a uniform form by the competent state authorities of the countries (including administrative regions) that are part of the Vienna Convention." The English name for the international driver's license is International Driving Permit, which will be called IDP from now on.

Based on the law, you can only drive in Vietnam with an IDP international driver's license. This license is issued by countries that are part of the Vienna Convention and has a standard form. Other international cars, including those with IAA international driver's licenses, won't be able to be used in Vietnam. 

From the practice of ensuring traffic safety, it can be seen that a portion of foreigners and Vietnamese with foreign nationality are using two types of international driving permits to participate in traffic in Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City (City), namely the International Driving Permit (IAA) issued by the International Automobile Association (IAA) based in New York and the International Driving Permit (IDP) issued by the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport (hereinafter referred to as Vienna Convention for short) under a standard pattern.

In addition, the fact is that certain persons and organizations promote the IAA driver's license swap service on social networking sites with the claim that it is valid in several countries, including Vietnam.

In recent years, there have been a lot of times when the traffic police checked a car and the driver gave them an IAA international driving license. The Road-Railway Traffic Police Department has a record of handling administrative violations for "No Driving License" in these situations. The Road-Railway Traffic Police Department tells people what they need to know to know the law and follow it strictly when driving in traffic.

FORM OF INTERNATIONAL DRIVER'S LICENSE ISSUED BY VIETNAM (Sent out with the Minister of Transport's Circular No. 29/2015/TT-BGTVT on July 6, 2015)

The Traffic Police Department of RD-Rural also informed the public about the following parts of Circular No. 29/2015/TT-BGTVT about the use of international driving permits:

Article 10: Using a license from Vietnam to drive in another country

1. Individuals with an IDP from Vietnam who drives in a Contracting State to the Vienna Convention must carry both their IDP and their national driving license; Must follow the traffic laws of the host country.

2. The IDP that Vietnam gave you can't be used anywhere in Vietnam.

Article 11: Driving licenses from countries that are part of the Vienna Convention can be used in Vietnam

1. Individuals with an IDP from a country that is part of the Vienna Convention and who drives a road vehicle in Vietnam must have both an IDP and a national driving license for the type of vehicle they are driving; Must also follow Vietnam's road traffic laws.

2. If an IDP holder breaks Vietnam's road traffic laws and loses the right to use an IDP for a certain amount of time, that time can't be longer than how long the driver is allowed to stay in Vietnam.

So, when road users are checked by the authorities, they must show both a national driving license and an international driver's license (IDP) from a country that is part of the Vienna Convention. If the vehicle is issued according to the driver's vehicle class attached, it can be used in Vietnam.

PL