Thousands of driving licenses backlogged as Vietnam city runs out of printing material

According to the city’s Department of Transport, the agency is only accepting applications for the renewal of driver’s licenses nearing their renewal date, or lost or overdue licenses.

Currently, about 300 priority applications are being renewed or reissued daily and since the beginning of May, about 3,000 such applications have been backlogged.

Normally, the issuance of a new license takes just 15 days.

Nguyen Dang Khoa, the department’s deputy director, stated that the reason for the extended issuance time is that the reserve of printing materials, including ink and adhesive film, has nearly been exhausted since the beginning of the year.

Previously, materials for printing driver’s licenses were supplied by the Ministry of Transport. However, according to the new regulations of the Bidding Law that took effect from early 2024, the procurement of goods for specialized tasks valued over VND100 million (US$3,900) will be subject to local bidding processes.

"The department has completed needed procedures and is waiting for the city to delegate approval authority for budget estimates and bidding plans," Khoa said, noting that the issuance and renewal of driver’s licenses are expected to return to normal by early August.

He also advised that in cases where renewal is not urgently necessary, such as licenses that are still valid but need address updates, or old, faded licenses that are still valid, citizens could delay renewal to avoid congestion.

Can Tho currently has 12 motor vehicle training and examination centers. On average, over 2,000 candidates pass the examination each month, requiring new driver’s licenses.