Vietnamese Driver's License Translation
Vietnamese driver's license translation to English for a DMV, a car insurer, a rental company or an employer that wants your driving history read, and from English into Vietnamese when a US license is converted in Vietnam. We translate the giấy phép lái xe in every form: the laminated paper license, the PET card issued since 2012 and the police-issued card of 2025.
- Up to 250 words per page
- $25 per page
- Standard turnaround
- From 24 hours
- Certificate of accuracy
- Signed & stamped
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Written for Vietnamese driver's license records
A1, B2, C: what the classes on a giấy phép lái xe mean
The PET card prints its labels in English, but the class letters and the dates follow Vietnamese rules a US clerk has no way to know.
Classes before and after 2025
Licenses issued before 2025 use A1 for motorcycles under 175 cc, A2 for larger ones, B1 for cars driven without hire, B2 for cars and light trucks with hire allowed, and C for trucks. The law that took effect on 1 January 2025 renamed the classes to A1, A, B1, B, C1, C, D1, D2 and D, and an old B2 is exchanged for a B or a C1. Old cards stay valid to their printed date, so both sets are in circulation. We translate the class as printed and add the vehicle description from the legend on the back of the card.
Không thời hạn and the ten-year card
A motorcycle license is printed Không thời hạn, no expiry, which stops a DMV form that insists on an expiry date. A B1 runs until the holder turns 55 if a woman or 60 if a man, a B2 for ten years and the truck and bus classes for five. We translate the validity line as printed and, where the card gives an age instead of a date, the translator adds a note with the date it works out to, so the clerk has a number to type.
Who issued it: Sở Giao thông vận tải, then the police
Cards issued through February 2025 are signed by the director of a provincial Sở Giao thông vận tải, the Department of Transport. Since 1 March 2025 the traffic police issue them under the Ministry of Public Security, and the card design changed. The laminated paper license of the 1990s and 2000s is Vietnamese only, with the photo sealed under plastic and the class stamped in. Whichever you hold, we translate the issuing office as printed, because an insurer verifying the license needs to know which authority to ask.
Who is asking for your Vietnamese driver's license translation?
The translation is the same. What changes is whether the recipient wants anything added to it.
State DMVs
Most DMV offices accept a certified translation of a foreign license. A few want it notarized as well, so check with your office before you order.
USCIS
USCIS asks for a complete English translation and a signed certification from the translator. No notarization is needed.
US passports and the Department of State
The Department of State wants the translation notarized. Add notarization at checkout and we handle the rest.
Before you upload
Three things that save a day of back and forth on a Vietnamese driver's license.
Scan both sides
The categories, restrictions and the issue and expiry dates are usually on the back. Upload the front and the back in one order so the translation covers the whole card.
Match the name to your passport
Tell us the English spelling you use. The translation shows the name as the license prints it and notes your spelling so the office can match both.
Ask the office which format they accept
Some DMVs want a certified translation, others want it notarized as well. Check before you order and add notarization at checkout if they ask for it.
Details and pricing
What is included in a Vietnamese driver's license translation
One price per page covers the translation and its certification. A page is up to 250 words, and the quote tells you the page count before you pay.
Everything on the driver's license is translated, including stamps, seals and handwritten notes. Tell us the English spelling you use for each name when you order.
Certified Translation
Word-for-word translation with a certificate of accuracy for official use.
$25
USD / page
up to 250 words per page
Included
- Signed & stamped certification of translation accuracy
- Certified by a professional translator
- Digital delivery via PDF
- Review and approve final translation
- 100% Guaranteed Acceptance
- Standard turnaround starting at 24 hours
Optional services
- Expedited turnaround
- Priority handling when your deadline is shorter than the standard turnaround.
- By deadline
- Notarization
- A notary public signs and stamps the certification statement.
- $20 per order
- Physical copy
- A wet-ink original of your translation, mailed by express courier.
- $35 per order
- Apostille
- Authenticates the notary’s signature and seal for use in Hague Convention countries.
- $180 per document
What the certificate of accuracy states
Your translation arrives with a Certification of Translation Accuracy issued by ImmiTranslate. It is the page the receiving organization checks first.
- The translation is complete and accurate.
- The document title and the language pair.
- The translator is competent in both languages.
- A signature and the ImmiTranslate certification stamp.
- Our American Translators Association corporate membership.
Our translation process
Our goal is to make the translation process as simple as possible for you. Our service is streamlined specifically for documents of this nature.
Vietnamese Driver's License FAQ
Most questions about pricing and turnaround can be answered faster by requesting a quote.
- Will a US DMV exchange my Vietnamese license for an American one?
- No state exchanges a Vietnamese license without testing, so expect the written and road tests. The translation still earns its place: some DMVs want the foreign license translated before they open a file, and an insurer may count your years of driving in Vietnam toward a lower premium if the translated license shows the issue date. Rental counters also want a readable license beside the card.
- I have the Vietnamese international driving permit. Does it work in the United States?
- Not reliably. Vietnam issues its giấy phép lái xe quốc tế under the 1968 Vienna Convention, and the United States is party only to the 1949 Geneva Convention, so the Vietnamese permit is not recognized here. Police and rental companies are more likely to accept your Vietnamese card with a certified English translation than the permit. Carry both.
- Do you translate a US license into Vietnamese for đổi giấy phép lái xe in Vietnam?
- Yes. A US license can be converted to a Vietnamese one of the matching class without a test, if you hold a residence card or a visa long enough to qualify. The office asks for the license, a Vietnamese translation and your passport. The translation usually has to be notarized in Vietnam, so our Vietnamese translation serves as a draft the local notary can certify, or as the copy your employer keeps. Ask the office which it accepts.
- How much does a certified translation cost?
- Certified translation is $25 per page, with a page counted as up to 250 words. Notarization, a mailed physical copy and an apostille are optional and priced separately.
- How long does a certified translation take?
- Standard turnaround starts at 24 hours and depends on the length and language of your documents. If you have a deadline, include it in your quote request.
Other Vietnamese documents we translate
Driver's license translation in other languages
Each of these pages is written for that language's driver's license records.
Sending it with an application? Read the Insurance claim translations before you order.