The Surprising Truth About License Plates: Car Owners Baffled as Their Vehicle Registrations Don’t Match Expectations

Before 2024, although there was no official circular regarding license plates, each type of vehicle was assigned a specific letter by the police in each province and city, with a fairly consistent pattern across localities. For example, in Hanoi, cars would be assigned the letter A, buses would be B, and trucks would have C/H/K. Similarly, in Ho Chi Minh City, cars had the letter A, buses had B, and trucks had C/D/M. If the A series ran out of numbers, cars could then be assigned the B, C, or D series.

However, according to Circular 79/2024/TT-BCA, Article 37, Clause 7, which came into effect on January 1, 2025, there will no longer be a distinction between license plates for trucks, cars, and buses. This means that any designated number can now be legally registered to a car, bus, truck, or van. The exception is service vehicles, which still have a different set of starting numbers and yellow-colored plates.

Currently, vehicle registration offices still have a certain stock of pre-printed plates with various letters (A, B, C, D, K, etc.). These plates will be randomly assigned until the pre-printed stock is exhausted. Afterward, as per the new government circular, all vehicle plates will fall under a single series, including the license plate auction category.

For example, in Hanoi, after randomly assigning all the pre-printed plates, all types of vehicles (except service vehicles) will only be assigned the 30P series. Once 30P is exhausted, they will move on to the next series, instead of having multiple series running concurrently as is currently the case. Similarly, other provinces will also assign the remaining pre-printed plates and then move on to a single series afterward.

Regulations on Vehicle License Plates from January 1, 2025, according to Circular 79/2024:

Specifically, Article 37 of Circular 79/2024/TT-BCA stipulates the following regulations regarding vehicle license plates from January 1, 2025:

– Vehicle license plates must comply with the National Technical Regulations issued by the Ministry of Public Security. For temporary vehicle registration plates, as specified in Appendix 02 accompanying Circular 79/2024/TT-BCA, the plates are printed on paper.

– The arrangement of letters and numbers on the license plates of various vehicles must adhere to the prescribed regulations.

– Cars and specialized motor vehicles will be assigned two license plates: one short plate measuring 165 mm in height and 330 mm in length, and one long plate measuring 110 mm in height and 520 mm in length.

Provisions for Cars

– Arrangement of letters and numbers on license plates for cars of domestic agencies, organizations, and individuals: The first two numbers indicate the registered locality, followed by a series of letters; the second group of numbers consists of five natural numbers ranging from 000.01 to 999.99.

– Arrangement of letters and numbers on license plates for cars of foreign agencies, organizations, and individuals: The first two numbers indicate the registered locality, followed by a group of three natural numbers indicating the country, territory, or international organization, and the third group indicates the series for foreign entities. The fourth group is the vehicle registration number, consisting of two natural numbers from 01 to 99.

+ License plates for trailers and semi-trailers consist of one plate attached to the rear of the vehicle, measuring 165 mm in height and 330 mm in length, with the same letter and number arrangement as domestic car license plates.

Color and Series of License Plates for Domestic Agencies, Organizations, and Individuals

– Car license plates with a blue background and white letters and numbers will use one of the following 11 letters as the series: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, L, M. These are assigned to vehicles belonging to Party committees; the Office of the President; the National Assembly and its agencies; the Office of the National Assembly Delegation and the People’s Councils at all levels; Central Steering Committees; Public Security, People’s Courts, and People’s Procuratorates; ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and government agencies; the National Traffic Safety Committee; People’s Committees at all levels and their specialized agencies; political-social organizations (including the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the Vietnam Women’s Union, the Vietnam Veterans Association, and the Vietnam Farmers’ Union); project management units with state management functions; and public non-business units, excluding driving training and testing centers.

– Motorcycle license plates with a blue background and white letters and numbers will use one of the following 11 letters as the series: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, L, M, combined with one natural number from 1 to 9. These are assigned to the entities mentioned in (i).

– Car license plates with a white background, black letters and numbers will use one of the following 20 letters as the series: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, L, M, N, P, S, T, U, V, X, Y, Z. These are assigned to vehicles of domestic organizations and individuals who do not fall under category (i).

– Motorcycle license plates with a white background, black letters and numbers will use a combination of two letters from the following 20 options: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, L, M, N, P, S, T, U, V, X, Y, Z. These are assigned to vehicles of domestic organizations and individuals who do not fall under category (ii).

– Car license plates with a yellow background and black letters and numbers will use one of the following 20 letters as the series: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, L, M, N, P, S, T, U, V, X, Y, Z. These are assigned to vehicles operating in the field of passenger and cargo transportation.

– Some cases with specific series include:

+ License plates with the series “CD” are assigned to specialized motor vehicles.

+ License plates with the series “RM” are assigned to trailers and semi-trailers.

+ License plates with the series “HC” are assigned to vehicles with restricted operation areas, four-seater passenger cars with engines, and four-wheeled cargo vehicles with engines.

+ License plates with the series “KT” are assigned to vehicles of military enterprises as proposed by the Vehicle and Machinery Department of the Ministry of National Defense for registration.

+ Vehicles with a structure similar to a particular type will be assigned the license plate series of that type.

+ License plates with a specific series for a particular entity will have the corresponding color scheme as stipulated in point a, c, and d of Clause 5, Article 37 of Circular 79/2024/TT-BCA.

+ Auctioned license plates will have a red and yellow identification sticker with blue lettering.

TT (Tuoitrethudo)