Drivers of automobiles in Vietnam are permitted to drive a maximum of 48 hours per week from January 1, 2025

Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety of Vietnam in 2024 takes effect from January 1, 2025. From this date, automobile drivers in Vietnam are only allowed to drive a maximum of 48 hours per week.

1. Drivers of automobiles in Vietnam are permitted to drive a maximum of 48 hours per week from January 1, 2025

According to Article 64 of the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety of Vietnam in 2024, the working hours of drivers of commercial transport and internal transport cars in Vietnam are regulated as follows:

- The driving hours for automobile drivers in Vietnam shall not exceed 10 hours per day and not exceed 48 hours per week; continuous driving shall not exceed 4 hours and must comply with the relevant regulations of the Vietnam Labor Code 2019.

- Transport business units, internal transport operation units, and drivers of commercial transport and internal transport cars in Vietnam are responsible for complying with the regulations in Article 64 of the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety of Vietnam in 2024.

Currently, the working hours of drivers of commercial transport and internal transport cars in Vietnam are regulated in Article 65 of the Vietnam Road Traffic Law 2008 (effective until December 31, 2024) as not exceeding 10 hours per day and not continuously driving for more than 4 hours.

Thus, Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety of Vietnam in 2024 has added the regulation that drivers of commercial transport and internal transport cars in Vietnam are not allowed to drive more than 48 hours per week; in other words, automobile drivers are only allowed to drive a maximum of 48 hours per week starting January 1, 2025. This aims to ensure traffic safety and comply with labor laws in Vietnam.

2. In what cases can automobile drivers in Vietnam have their driver's licenses renewed, replaced, and revoked?

According to Article 62 of the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety of Vietnam in 2024, the cases in which automobile drivers are granted, renewed, replaced, and revoked their driver's licenses are as follows:

- Automobile drivers can have their driver's licenses renewed, replaced in the following cases:

+ The driver's license is lost;

+ The driver's license is damaged and cannot be used;

+ Before the expiration date on the driver's license;

+ Changing the information on the driver's license;

+ Foreign driver's licenses granted by a competent authority of a foreign country that are still valid for use;

+ Driver's licenses issued by the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam when required, or the person granted no longer performs defense or security duties.

- Encouraging the renewal of driver's licenses with no expiration date issued before July 1, 2012, to the driver's licenses according to the regulations.

- No grant, renewal, replacement of driver's licenses for those who violate the laws on road traffic order and safety until they fulfill the requirements of the competent state agency to resolve the administrative violation case in the field of road traffic order and safety.

- Automobile drivers shall have their driver's licenses revoked in the following cases:

+ The person granted the driver's license is not qualified for health as concluded by the medical examination and treatment facility for each type of driver's license;

+ The driver's license was issued in violation of regulations;

+ The driver's license has expired or the statute of limitations for enforcing an administrative penalty decision has passed according to laws on the handling of administrative violations if the violator does not come to receive it without a legitimate reason.

- The Minister of Transport of Vietnam stipulates the conditions, procedures, and processes for granting, renewing, replacing, and revoking driver's licenses, except for the following cases:

+ Granting, renewing, replacing, revoking driver's licenses for the army, police performing defense and security duties;

+ Granting, renewing, replacing, revoking operating certificates for specialized machinery drivers.

Sincerely!

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