Whether it’s the traffic officers who are letting foreigners get away with breaking traffic rules, or if it’s the foreigners themselves who have gotten smart on them ironically – by playing dumb – we never know. But it’s never a surprise to see plenty of non-locals driving around Vietnam’s streets in motorbikes. The country had become an increasingly popular expat destination in recent years and is recognized as a safe place for foreigners to live and work. Expats are attracted by the nice weather, low cost of living, lively culture and the steady improvements. On top of that, finding your way around isn’t at all that hard as many are so willing to help. But with the ease of getting a Vietnamese driver’s license, one can enjoy more freedom in circling the maze of streets, especially in a big city like HCMC.

Anyone who is spotted driving around without a helmet or in the wrong lane naturally gets pulled over. By observation, foreigners seems to get away quicker than locals as they can always come up with more excuses. They can either pretend not to understand Vietnamese, or they are not aware of the rules. But mind you, their list of ‘tricks’, as many cops (who don’t buy the sneaky moves) want to call it, could get really long.

Take RJ, for instance. He is an American teacher living Ho Chi Minh City. RJ talks of being pulled over by traffic police almost every weekend for driving in the wrong lane. He stops and waits on the sidewalk, alright, but once the officer recognizes he is a foreigner, he gets a friendly wave instead of a violation ticket.

But you see, that is just one of the many episodes that happen day after day and week after week in the busy streets of Vietnam. RJ’s story is just a tiny reflection of a larger game of cat-and-mouse played by expats to prevent traffic police from stopping and fining them for breaking road rules. But some could go a little overboard than just playing sneaky. Others, let us say, could be plain stubborn. Some expats claim to have simply ignored a police officer who is trying to stop him. When chased by the patrolman, he just kept driving. Was he in big trouble? Well, the frustrated officer gave up coming after him and obviously, the foreigner got his way.

But are all traffic officers really letting all these happen under their noses? Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Vo Van Van, vice head of the HCMC Traffic Police Division, said police have fined a total of about 600 foreigners for violating traffic law since 2008 in HCMC. Hmm.. not bad. But obviously, they can do better. They pretty know how much a large number of foreigners visit or stay in the country, thus, there should be an effort to resolve this never-ending dilemma. The Lt.Col. believes it is important to set up a taskforce that is able to speak foreign languages to handle violations of traffic law by foreigners. They should also get more training in terms of handling these scenarios and be aware of the laws involved for the matter. For instance, traffic police are not allowed to keep a driver’s passport. However, they can confiscate other papers issued by Vietnamese agencies like visas, residence registrations or the motorbike of the violator to ensure that the fines are enforced.

Most of the violations expats get themselves involved in include driving in the wrong lane, no helmet and no driver’s license. Though many foreigners do not admit on disregarding Vietnamese law, observations and the officers’ experiences tell a different story. Hence, there should also be an effort to encourage the expats to get a driver’s license to allow them to drive legally. There are certain requirements including age (must be 18+ years old), a Vietnamese visa (with the proper validity), documentations (includes application form stamped at one of these offices: embassy, consulate, government office, private company and representative office), a copy of one’s passport and permanent residence card, photos and a fee of VND170,000.

Want to drive around HCMC’s streets? Check here for more information:
http://sgtvt.hochiminhcity.gov.vn/web/tintuc/default.aspx?cat_id=592#content