From Thanh Nien News
Authorities in Khanh Hoa province in Vietnam said that foreigners who do not have a driver’s license from Vietnam may no longer rent motorbikes because of a flurry of accidents that officials said were caused by foreigners, a Vietnam newspaper reported.
Photo from Thanh Nien News.
Truong Dang Tuyen, director of the local Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, told the newspaper that since they do not have a local driver’s license, tourists do not know enough about traffic rules in the area to stay safe.
Khanh Hoa contains the popular resort town of Nha Trang. It apparently is following the suggestion of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism agency, which recently recommended that local tourism officials throughout the country limit who can drive the motorbikes.
In fact, at a meeting in July in Moscow, Russian officials encouraged Vietnamese leaders not to allow Russian tourists to drive motorbikes.
Now, the Khanh Hoa Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will begin to persuade law-enforcement agencies to come up with punitive regulations for those who ride in violation of the ban. Hotels and other who rent the bikes also will be educated about the ban.
Nguyen Quoc Dung, who heads the Nha Trang traffic police, said foreigners who live in Vietnam for at least three months and hold a valid driver’s license from another jurisdiction can apply for a permit to drive and take a test. The written test is in Vietnamese and there is a driving test, as well.
