Expenses pile up at training centers for driver's license

By Pham Hai January 28, 2024 | 03:00 pm PT

A simulator at the Driving Training and Testing Center at the University of Fire Prevention and Fighting. Photo by Anh Duy

People applying for a driver’s license have to spend millions of dong (VND1 million = $40.63) more on top of training fees for health checks, meals and car rentals.

Hong Khang in Ho Chi Minh City is about to complete his driving course and get a B1 license for vehicles with up to nine seats and weighing below 3.5 tons.

Besides the driver training fee of VND18 million, he has shelled out a lot more on other expenses not mentioned initially.

He says: "I have to complete night sessions of at least four hours to be able to take the exam. To date I have done 14 sessions and paid for food and drinks for both myself and the instructor, which cost VND100,000-150,000."

Depending on the training center and additional requirements of learners, health checks cost another VND300,000-600,000, car rentals are VND400,000-600,000 per hour and exam fees are VND100,000 for theory and VND300,000-500,000 for practical.

Some training centers do promise not to demand anything other than what they mention at the outset, but their fees are usually high.

Nhat Huy of Ho Chi Minh City, who recently got his license, said he went to a center that charged a high fee of VND28 million, but there were no additional costs.