Job Discussion Forums

[toiyeuthitmeo]

Hey all,

Have heard a few conflicting things about getting a VN motorbike license without having a valid one from home. Can anyone chime in here?

1) Have heard one must take a written exam that is only offered in Vietnamese? True or not? Any way around this? Anyone done this? How was it? Advice including how to prepare and where to take it?

2) Have heard the road test is very easy for anyone who's been riding for awhile. True?

3) Any guidance and where to go and how much to pay for these procedures?

Thanks!

[Jbhughes]

I've done it, I shared my experience in this thread: http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=89837

Answering your questions specifically, based on what I did about 2 and a half years ago (as I'm sure you'll agree, it may have changed, and my memory isn't the best):

1. When I did it (not in Saigon), a translated test wasn't available. Around that time, I did read about a translated version being available in Saigon. The VNese version was 100 questions long. From what I remember, 50 of them were written, 25 were questions about road situations (often right of way, lol), these had pictures of situations and the final 25 were about road signs (again with pictures). On the test day, 15 random questions will be chosen from the 100 for you to answer.
My knowledge of VNese at the time wasn't that great (hey, I doubt even a couple of years later I could understand all of the questions).

What I did was this:
-Translated the most recurring and or most useful seeming terms.
-Found out the rules of right of way etc for the road situations questions.
-Found out the meanings of the signs.
-Next, I scoured the questions and answers for unique terms from each question and answer that could be linked for me to remember, this was the only way I could think of for a non-fluent speaker to answer the 50 written questions. After hours (days?) of my free-time spent scouring through the questions, I narrowed down my list of matching terms to something which could be memorised and then worked on remembering them.
What I mean by this is, if for example I saw xe hoi in a question, I would immediately look for say 20km/h in the answer. This meant that xe hoi would have to only be in one question and none of the others, also 20km/h would have to be only in one answer.
I got someone else to make a test paper with the 100 questions in a different order with the answers also in a different order and practised this, too.

Maybe you'll think of a less time consuming or better idea? I really wanted to pass the test as when I talked about getting a VN driving licence, all the staff in the school laughed at me, this motivated me

2. The road test is easy, although you should find your local test area and go and practice the figure of 8, you want to be able to do that in your sleep. From what I remember, you have to make sure that neither of your wheels go outside of the white lines, otherwise that's a fail.

3. In Saigon, I've got no idea - although I think that thread I linked mentions it?

[Andy123]

With the correct connections you get a translator and a perfect road test.
That is what I did.

Was it worth it? I never had to use it over many years. It is not worth it in my humble opinion. Always, always keep cash in your pocket and play the odds. The odds are by far the best bet.

If you do not have the cash than that is your fault. Living paycheck to paycheck in Viet Nam is retarded. One to two million will get you out of all traffic situations. And never, ever speak 'Viet to a policeman.

[The Mad Hatter]

I don't subscribe to the maxim: "come to Vietnam and put all your civilised behaviour behind you!"

I don't break the law in my home country and haven't previously. I have no intentions of living like an outlaw in Vietnam simply because a number of expats live this way on a day to day basis.

I say, get a licence, get a WP.......... get wise.

Reporting rogue policemen here is just as easy as in your home countries, some people are simply too lazy to behave decently.

[1st Sgt Welsh]

[The Mad Hatter]

[Jbhughes]