An International Driving Permit is a temporary solution. Foreigners living in Vietnam for months or years are expected to go further and exchange their national driving licence for a Vietnamese one. The exchange is a paperwork exercise for most residents, and Circular 12/2025/TT-BCA of the Ministry of Public Security sets the current rules.

Who can exchange

The circular ties eligibility to residence. An applicant needs papers showing residence in Vietnam of at least three months — a temporary residence record for most foreigners — together with a national driving licence that is still valid in the country that issued it.

Two things do not count as a basis for exchange. First, an International Driving Permit: IDPs are recognised for riding as permits, but they cannot be swapped for a Vietnamese licence. Second, an expired national licence: if the home licence has lapsed, the applicant may need to qualify through the Vietnamese testing route instead of the simple exchange.

The dossier

The exchange dossier is short but must be exact:

  • The standard application form used for foreign applicants
  • The foreign licence itself, with a Vietnamese translation certified by a notary office or by the issuing country’s embassy or consulate in Vietnam
  • A valid passport
  • Residence papers showing at least three months in Vietnam
  • Health certification as required for the licence class sought

Applications go to the Traffic Police Department (Phòng Cảnh sát giao thông) or a commune-level police point that accepts them. After processing, the applicant receives a Vietnamese licence matching the vehicle categories of the original. A licence covering only cars converts to Vietnamese car categories; motorbike categories convert only if the home licence already included them.

Why the exchange matters

Riding without a valid licence is one of the most expensive mistakes on Vietnamese roads: under Article 18 of Decree 168/2024/NĐ-CP, fines reach 2,000,000–4,000,000 VND for unlicensed riders of bikes up to 125 cc, and 6,000,000–8,000,000 VND above that. Long-term residents who keep riding on an IDP past its natural use case, or with no licence at all, are exposed to those bands every time they pass a checkpoint.

Exchange or IDP — which one applies

Tourists on short stays ride on a 1968 Vienna Convention IDP carried with the national licence. Foreigners with residence measured in months should start the exchange instead. The two systems are complements, not competitors, and the dividing line is residence.

Information, not legal advice. Verified against Circular 12/2025/TT-BCA and Law 36/2024/QH15 on 2026-09-22.