The Vietnam Road Administration has just issued a directive to provincial and city Departments of Transport, driver training facilities, and testing centers regarding the handover of state management responsibilities for driver's license testing and issuance.

According to the Vietnam Road Administration, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Security have signed a memorandum of understanding to transfer the responsibility for managing driver's license examinations and issuance.

Regarding the task of examining and issuing driver's licenses, the Vietnam Road Administration requests that provincial Departments of Transport continue to organize driver's license examinations, ensuring that the signing of decisions recognizing successful candidates and issuing driver's licenses to successful candidates is completed before March 1st.

The Departments of Transport have plans in place to receive and process applications for driver's license renewal, reissue, and issuance of international driver's licenses, ensuring that the acceptance and signing of previously received licenses proceed continuously and without interruption until March 1st.

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The Departments of Transport continue their driver training programs. Photo: Archival material.

"The Department of Transport will cease organizing driving tests and stop accepting registration reports, applications for license renewal, reissuance of driver's licenses, and issuance of international driver's licenses from March 1st," the Vietnam Road Administration has requested.

Regarding driver training, the Vietnam Road Administration proposes that provincial Departments of Transport continue to manage driver training, conduct training, conduct examinations, and issue certificates for knowledge enhancement in road traffic laws.

In addition, the Vietnam Road Administration also requested the Departments of Transport to direct driver testing centers to coordinate with local police to organize training courses for local police officers who are test examiners.

The Departments of Transport also assign professional staff to coordinate, guide, and share experience, skills, methods, and procedures to support local traffic police units and officers in proficiently performing their professional duties, operating, exploiting, using, and managing the software system for receiving applications for driver's license renewal, reissuance, and issuance of international driver's licenses both directly and online.

Handing over facilities and equipment for driver's license issuance.

To ensure a timely transfer of responsibilities and to avoid disrupting or affecting driver's license testing and issuance, the Vietnam Road Administration proposes that provincial and city Departments of Transport transfer the management of driver's license testing and issuance to the police departments of provinces and centrally-governed cities.

The files and documents related to state management of driver's license testing and issuance include: files for issuing licenses to type 3 driver's license testing centers and accompanying lists; files for issuing licenses to type 1 and 2 driver's license testing centers and accompanying lists (after June 1, 2024); files approving the operation of driving practice areas for motorcycle driving tests and accompanying lists.

The list of examiners with valid examiner cards under the management of the Department of Transport; records of driving tests organized by the Department of Transport; lists of driver's license renewals and reissues; issuance of international driver's licenses; and decisions to issue paper motorcycle driver's licenses before 2012 that are not yet in the driver's license database.

The database for managing driver's license examinations and issuance at the Department of Transport includes: the driver's license database; the database of paper driver's licenses (before 2013); and the international driver's license database.

Facilities and equipment for issuing driver's licenses include: PET card driver's license printing system; international driver's license printing system; cameras, scanners; and other related equipment.