Pay a Little Now and Learn to Drive with Confidence When You Get There

Driving license fees in major cities currently range between 22-24 million VND. Photo: Hoang Tuan.

In 2022, Mr. Duc Hieu (District 7, Ho Chi Minh City) registered for a class B1 driving license course with a tuition fee of 17.9 million VND. “At that time, there were many people who recommended to me courses for category B1 and B2 driving licenses with prices of only 13-15 million VND. However, those training units committed to a rather limited practice time, so I chose to register at a place with a tuition fee of nearly 18 million VND,” said Mr. Duc Hieu.

Willing to spend more money

According to Mr. Duc Hieu, his driving license learning process went quite smoothly. He practiced a lot with cars, both in the driving range and when practicing driving on the streets.

“The study program that I registered for already included the exam fee, the cost of the on-road practice process as well as practicing with a chip-equipped car in the simulation. I even agreed to pay more few hundred thousand to rent a chip-equipped car for more practice time at the test location,” said Mr. Duc Hieu.

Mr. Hieu also revealed that while waiting for the announcement of the driving test schedule, the center where he enrolled contacted him and stated that he was among the students who needed to complete the practice on a vehicle equipped with a time and distance monitoring device (DAT).

“Although quite bewildered, I determined that when I finished studying, I had to be able to drive, so I agreed to pay more money and time to be trained through the DAT with the instructor,” Mr. Duc Hieu shared.

Driving is a time-consuming and costly process. Illustration photo: Hoang Ha.

Thanks to putting in a lot of effort as well as time and money during the study process, Mr. Duc Hieu said that after getting his driving license, he was very confident in driving with his family to go for a drive. He even revealed that he rented a car on the same day he received his B1 driving license to take relatives from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau City (Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province) for a trip.

“The trip went smoothly because I had gained experience and practiced driving throughout the learning process. Thanks to the successful first trip, I also felt more ‘excited’ and set a goal to buy a car this year,” said Mr. Duc Hieu happily.

Similar to Mr. Duc Hieu, Ms. Hoang Anh (28 years old, Ho Chi Minh City) said that she chose to enroll in a driving training center in District 4. The full tuition fee for class B1 at this facility is 24 million VND, including exam fees, 40 hours of DAT practice, 3 hours of cabin simulation training, and 2 hours of practice on a chip-equipped car in the driving range.

“The cost is high but I think it’s quite worth it. Many hours of practice meant that students like me will have more opportunities to practice driving, so they can confidently sit behind the wheel after successfully passing the driving test,” Ms. Hoang Anh shared.

Owning a driving license is no longer ‘cheap’

Mr. Thanh Tung (50 years old, driver) commented that owning a driving license is no longer as cheap as it used to be.

“Just a few years ago, getting a driving license might only cost around 6-7 million VND. Now, there’s almost no such price anymore,” said Mr. Thanh Tung.

According to the research of online news Tri Thức & ZING News, the tuition fee for B1 and B2 driving licenses in Ho Chi Minh City currently fluctuates between 22-24 million VND.

In particular, at a reputable training center in Ho Chi Minh City, the tuition fee for B1.1 driving license (driving automatic cars, not for commercial transportation) is 31.8 million VND. For class B2 at this center, students will pay a total fee of 32.8 million VND.

The cost of getting a driving license has increased significantly in recent years. Photo: H.T.

The high cost of driving lessons compared to a few years ago is said to be influenced by the process of practicing on a vehicle equipped with DAT devices, including the cost of equipping the device along with dozens of hours of actual driving on the road.

It is known that this is a mandatory item in the driving training process according to the content of Circular 04 issued by the Ministry of Transport in 2022. For Class B2 and B1 manual transmissions, students must practice on 810 km of highway with a vehicle equipped with a DAT device, in addition to 290 km of driving practice on the driving range.

In addition, the mandatory practice of driving on a cabin simulator during the training process is also a part of the reason for the increase in tuition fees, because training facilities must spend money to add this equipment.

Many people choose to register at a driving training center with high tuition fees because they want to practice a lot and trust the reputation. Illustration photo: Phuong Lam.

According to Ms. Hoang Anh, her relative once registered to study for a driving license at a center with a quite attractive cost. However, this training facility only focused on training students on the driving test course and lacked hours of practicing driving on the road. Therefore, although having had a driver’s license for a long time, her relative still did not dare to drive on the road due to fear.

“From the perspective of someone who does not know anything about driving, I want to be able to drive when I finish studying and taking the test, so I agree to pay more money for a reputable training facility that commits to sufficient practice time,” concluded Ms. Hoang Anh.

However, the high tuition fees have also become a barrier that makes many people hesitate before enrolling in driving license courses.

“The tuition fee of over 20 million VND also made me a bit worried. If I don’t pass the test the first time, it will be very costly,” shared Ms. Dan Anh (21 years old, Ho Chi Minh City).