SELF-DRIVING IN VIETNAM INQUIRIES REPLY

Below you can find our standard reply to common self-driving in Vietnam inquiries. If you need more details, please feel free to contact us.

Hello,

Thank you for contacting us.

Foreign Licence

First, your foreign driving license by itself is not sufficient for legally driving in Vietnam, including your home-country license. There are many conflicting reports about this online, but the reality is unfortunately not good news.

IPD

However, the good news is that an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued in compliance with the 1968 Convention, rather than the 1949 Convention, is recognized in Vietnam.

If you have a 1968 Convention IDP, you should also bring your original home-country driving license with you. Having the correct driving documents is particularly important when it comes to travel and medical insurance, as an insurance company may require you to hold the appropriate legal driving entitlement for the vehicle you are operating.

Vietnamese Licence

Foreigners working at embassies may be able to drive diplomatically registered vehicles under the applicable regulations. For ordinary travelers, a Vietnamese driving license is required to legally drive Vietnamese-registered four-wheel vehicles.

Foreigners may be able to apply for a Vietnamese driving license if they meet the relevant requirements and hold a valid Vietnamese visa or residence status. The application process can involve having your passport, visa, and existing driving license notarized before submitting the required documents to the relevant local transport authority.

Processing normally takes several working days after submission, although the exact requirements and processing time can vary. In reality, obtaining a Vietnamese driving license can be a complicated process, particularly for short-term visitors.

Car Hire

Car rental in Vietnam is relatively expensive compared with many other Asian countries, with Singapore being one of the notable exceptions. More importantly, it can be difficult for foreigners to find a company willing to rent a car for self-driving.

For Vietnamese customers, renting a car is generally easier because rental companies can require various forms of security or guarantees. For foreign visitors, however, rental companies have many additional concerns, including potential vehicle damage, traffic fines, accidents, and difficulties recovering costs if something goes wrong.

For this reason, self-drive car rental in Vietnam is not widely available to foreign tourists.

On the other hand, if you hire a car in Vietnam with an English-speaking guide, the guide and driver are usually two different people. In our experience, it is difficult for one person to work effectively as both a driver and a professional English-speaking guide, particularly on longer trips.

A typical 4×4 vehicle can accommodate a maximum of around three travelers, plus the guide and driver, depending on the vehicle and luggage.

In general, you can either hire a car with a driver or book a guided 4WD trip. The cost depends on the vehicle, itinerary, duration, and size of your group.

If you have any more questions or if anything in this reply is unclear, please feel free to contact us by email or phone.

We look forward to hearing from you again.

Regards,

Anh Wu
Sales Manager

More Standard Email Replies

If you would like to find out more about the Vietnam tours by car that our company provides, please watch the video below or visit our YouTube channel.

Please contact us if you need more details about hiring a car for self-driving in Vietnam.