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Since 1 January 2025, Vietnam issues car licences in six main classes: B, C1, C, D1, D2 and D. Six more classes (BE, C1E, CE, D1E, D2E and DE) cover towing heavy trailers. Most private drivers need class B. Older B1, B2, C, D, E and F licences are no longer issued but stay valid until the expiry date printed on them.
Main car licence classes
| Licence | What it covers | Minimum age | Valid for |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | Cars with up to 8 seats (not counting the driver), trucks and special-purpose vehicles up to 3,500 kg, and any of these towing a trailer up to 750 kg. | 18 | 10 years |
| C1 | Trucks and special-purpose vehicles over 3,500 kg and up to 7,500 kg (trailer up to 750 kg), plus everything B covers. | 18 | 10 years |
| C | Trucks and special-purpose vehicles over 7,500 kg (trailer up to 750 kg), plus everything B and C1 cover. | 21 | 5 years |
| D1 | Passenger vehicles with more than 8 and up to 16 seats (not counting the driver), trailer up to 750 kg, plus everything B, C1 and C cover. | 24 | 5 years |
| D2 | Passenger vehicles and buses with more than 16 and up to 29 seats (trailer up to 750 kg), plus everything B, C1, C and D1 cover. | 24 | 5 years |
| D | Passenger vehicles and buses with more than 29 seats, and sleeper buses (trailer up to 750 kg), plus everything the classes above cover. | 27 | 5 years |
Weights are the vehicle's gross design weight, and seat counts never include the driver's seat. The classes come from Vietnam's Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety (No. 36/2024/QH15), which restructured licences in line with international categories. Class B is also issued to drivers with disabilities for automatic cars adapted to their needs.
A vehicle designed or converted with fewer seats than others of the same type and size, such as a limousine van, needs the licence class for the version with the most seats.
Trailer classes (E)
Towing a trailer heavier than 750 kg needs the matching E class:
- BE (minimum age 21): a class B vehicle towing a trailer over 750 kg.
- C1E (24): a class C1 truck towing a trailer over 750 kg.
- CE (24): a class C truck towing a trailer over 750 kg, and semi-trailer tractor units.
- D1E and D2E (27): a class D1 or D2 passenger vehicle towing a trailer over 750 kg.
- DE (27): a class D passenger vehicle towing a trailer over 750 kg, and articulated buses.
All six trailer classes are valid for 5 years.
What happened to B1, B2, C, D, E and F?
Licences issued before 1 January 2025 remain valid until the expiry date printed on them, for the vehicles they covered under the old rules. The old truck limits are based on load capacity (payload), not gross weight. When you renew or replace one, it is reissued in the new system:
| Old licence | What it still covers | Reissued as |
|---|---|---|
| B1 (automatic) | Automatic cars with up to 8 seats and automatic trucks with a load capacity under 3,500 kg, for non-professional drivers. | B, restricted to automatic vehicles |
| B1 | Cars with up to 8 seats, and trucks and tractors with a load capacity under 3,500 kg, for non-professional drivers. | B or C1 |
| B2 | The same vehicles as B1, issued to professional drivers. | B or C1 |
| C | Trucks and tractors with a load capacity of 3,500 kg or more, plus everything B1 and B2 cover. | C |
| D | Passenger vehicles with 9 to 29 seats, plus everything B1, B2 and C cover. | D2 |
| E | Passenger vehicles with more than 29 seats, plus everything B1, B2, C and D cover. | D |
| FB2, FC, FD, FE | The B2, C, D or E vehicles towing trailers. FC also covers semi-trailer trucks and FE articulated buses. | BE or C1E, CE, D2E, DE |
Note: the old B1 was a car licence, but the new B1 issued since 2025 is a three-wheel motorcycle licence.
The 12-point system
- Every licence carries 12 points, which are deducted for traffic violations.
- A licence that still has points goes back to 12 if no points are deducted for 12 months after the last deduction.
- Once all 12 points are gone, you may not drive on that licence. After 6 months you can take a road traffic law test run by the Traffic Police, and passing it restores the 12 points.
- A renewed or reissued licence keeps the points balance of the old one.
How this affects foreigners
To drive a car legally in Vietnam, a foreigner needs one of the following:
- A Vietnamese car licence, open to foreigners living, working or studying in Vietnam: exchange a valid national licence if you hold a visa or temporary residence card with at least 90 days of validity left, a valid permanent residence card, or a diplomatic or official ID card, or pass the Vietnamese test (minimum age 18 for class B);
- An International Driving Permit (IDP) issued by a country that is party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, carried together with your valid national licence for the same type of vehicle; or
- A licence from a country or territory that has a licence-recognition agreement with Vietnam, valid for the type of vehicle you drive.
Important points:
- Vietnam only recognises IDPs issued by 1968 Vienna Convention countries, such as France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. The USA, Canada, Australia and Japan are not party to that convention, so IDPs they issue are not valid in Vietnam.
- An IDP is valid for at most 3 years and never beyond the expiry of the national licence it accompanies.
- An IDP cannot be exchanged for a Vietnamese licence.
- An exchanged Vietnamese licence is valid only as long as your visa, residence card and foreign licence allow, and never longer than the normal term for that class.
- A car licence does not authorise riding a motorcycle. Apart from small mopeds, motorcycles need a class A1, A or B1 licence.
Fines for driving without the right licence
Under Decree No. 168/2024/ND-CP, Article 18, car drivers face these fines:
| Violation | Fine |
|---|---|
| No licence, a licence with all points deducted, a fake or altered licence, or a revoked licence | 18 to 20 million VND |
| A licence for the wrong class of vehicle, or one expired for 1 year or more | 18 to 20 million VND |
| A licence expired for less than 1 year | 8 to 10 million VND |
| An IDP carried without the matching national licence | 8 to 10 million VND |
| Driver aged 16 to under 18 | 4 to 6 million VND |
For these violations, police may also hold the vehicle before the fine is decided (Decree No. 168/2024/ND-CP, Article 48).
Quick reference: which licence for which vehicle?
- Car, SUV or MPV with up to 8 seats plus the driver: B.
- Pickup, cargo van or light truck up to 3,500 kg gross weight: B.
- Truck over 3,500 kg and up to 7,500 kg: C1.
- Truck over 7,500 kg: C.
- Minibus with 9 to 16 seats plus the driver: D1.
- Bus with 17 to 29 seats plus the driver: D2.
- Coach with more than 29 seats, or a sleeper bus: D.
- Car towing a trailer over 750 kg: BE.
Sources and further reading
- Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety No. 36/2024/QH15 (effective 1 Jan 2025, amended by Law No. 118/2025/QH15): Article 57 (licence classes, validity and International Driving Permits), Article 58 (licence points), Article 59 (minimum and maximum ages) and Article 89 (transitional rules for licences issued before 2025).
- Decree No. 168/2024/ND-CP on penalties for road traffic violations, as amended by Decree No. 238/2026/ND-CP from 15 Aug 2026: Article 18 (fines for driving without a valid licence) and Article 48 (holding vehicles).
- Circular No. 108/2026/TT-BCA (in force from 1 July 2026, replacing Circular No. 12/2025/TT-BCA) on licence tests and international driving permits, including Article 24 on exchanging foreign licences.
- United Nations Treaty Collection: status of the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic.
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