Foreign visitors traveling to Vietnam can bring their own cars (9-seater cars or less, left-hand drive) and motorbikes to drive. Still, they can only travel in Vietnam for up to 30 days and must travel in groups.
The Ministry of Transport has just completed the draft Decree on the management of motorized vehicles brought by foreigners into Vietnam for tourism purpose.
Requirements
According to this Decree, foreign tourists who want to drive their own car on Vietnamese roads must come to Vietnam under a program organized by travel agencies.
Such motor vehicles must have :
- a registration certificate of technical safety and environmental protection
- a vehicle registration certificate
- a temporary import document
- certificate of civil liability insurance for motor vehicles, which are valid in Vietnam
- These foreign visitors must also have a driver’s license.
When participating in the traffic of Vietnam, foreign visitors must strictly comply with the current traffic laws, bring all the above documents, and at the same time, travel in groups and have a company guide car. Travelers are in charge and still have to follow the correct itinerary as they asked for permission before”.
Organizing & Approval
Regarding procedures, travel agencies send the documents to the Ministry of Transport, clearly informing the list of foreigners driving the car, accompanying people, vehicle type, vehicle color, chassis number, engine number, and license plate. Within 5 days, the Ministry of Transport will appraise and issue a written approval.
Particularly, the regulation “must follow a group and have a guide car” is currently controversial in many comments. The Ministry of Transport still decided to keep the same because it believes that this condition is to ensure traffic order and safety in Vietnam.
Duration
The time allowed to travel in Vietnam is usually 30 days and can only be extended for 10 days. The effective time of the Decree is proposed by the Ministry of Transport to apply from January 1, 2013.
According to the Ministry of Transport, tourism by road has developed over the past, especially cross-border motorcycle and motorbike self-driving tourism in the ASEAN region, including Vietnam. Allowing international tourists to bring cars to Vietnam for tourism is necessary, contributing to the development of Vietnam’s tourism industry.
Motorbikes
The Ministry of Transport is also approving cases of motorbikes of tourists entering Vietnam. But generally, regulations on motor vehicles for tourists entering Vietnam have yet to be unified in legal documents.
