Renting a car in Vietnam is not as easy as, say, in European countries. The first unpleasant surprise will be that our domestic rights are considered invalid there. This is explained by the difference in traffic rules. In addition, according to local laws, tourists can use either an international driver's license or a temporary Vietnamese license. Therefore, you will have to agree to either issue a local temporary license, which is valid for two months, or rent a car with a driver who will also become a guide. The procedure for obtaining local Vietnamese license is quite fast, you will not face long red tape here, but you will be required to pay a fixed fee and pass a simple exam.
But this is not all the difficulty. A long time ago, one of the classics named two Russian troubles: fools and roads. Had he been in modern Vietnam, he would have defined the problem a little differently: the roads and chaos on them. Therefore, you need to have good driving skills in order to be entrusted with a more or less tolerable technique. Here, after all, only 10% of the roads are asphalted, while the rest are either unpaved or, at best, stone pavements. The movement is more chaotic. Therefore, it is difficult to get used to it when you are not yet very confident on your own roads. So car rental in Vietnam is a service for the most part for experienced drivers. Newbies can be uncomfortable here. The country has serious speed limits, and parking is not easy.
Vietnam roads
Drivers who do not have so much experience in order to immediately get used to the traffic situation of another country, for a start, it would be recommended to rent a car with a local driver-guide. If you travel with him for at least the first few days and carefully observe the road and his behavior on it, then you can try to pass the exam for local temporary license and continue to drive on your own. Do not be afraid to overpay for the services of a driver-guide: fines for driving oversights can be even more expensive. After all, it is quite difficult to immediately perceive and remember local traffic rules, but the local driver knows them by heart.
By the way, it makes sense to familiarize yourself with the theory of driving in Vietnam in advance, and only practice on the spot. Then you have more chances not only to pass the exam well, but also to admit fewer violations when you go to see the beauty and sights of this beautiful eastern country. If you have to repeatedly visit Vietnam for business purposes, then it makes sense to immediately acquire an international license: do not take the exam for a temporary certificate every time!
