From January 1, the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety takes effect, including the application of a new driver's license classification method.

Accordingly, the law stipulates that people who are using a driver's license according to the old classification can continue to use it until it expires. When a new driver's license is issued or renewed, the new classification will apply.

However, following the news that the Department of Transportation has stopped issuing and renewing driver’s licenses to transfer the task to the Ministry of Public Security, people have rushed to renew their driver’s licenses in recent days. Among them, there are many cases where B1 and B2 licenses are about to expire.

Mr. Phan Van Ha (Thanh Xuan, Hanoi) said that he tried to change his B2 driver's license through the national public service portal. However, the system only allows changing from B1, B2 to B.

“Previously, many opinions reflected that if the old B1, B2 license is changed to B, the driver will be at a disadvantage. Because the B license is more limited than the B1, B2 license in terms of the truck's load capacity. Specifically, the B1, B2 license allows the driver to drive a car carrying up to 9 people or a truck with a load capacity of less than 3.5 tons, while the B license, although still allowed to drive a car carrying up to 9 people (including the driver's seat), can only drive a truck with a total designed weight of up to 3.5 tons," said Mr. Ha.

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Changing driving license from B1, B2 to C1 must be done directly. Photo: N. Huyen

This is also the reason why Mr. Ha had to go directly to the Department of Transport's driver's license renewal point on Cao Ba Quat street to queue.

Explaining this issue to VietNamNet, Mr. Luong Duyen Thong, Head of the Department of Vehicle and Driver Transport Management (Vietnam Road Administration) informed that the national public service portal currently does not support online conversion of old B1, B2 driver's licenses to new C1.

Accordingly, the online driver's license exchange software only sets the default mode to one option from class B1, B2 to class B, not meeting many options at the same time.

“Therefore, if people want to change to class C1, they must do the procedure directly. Those who register to change to class C1 must come to do the procedure directly, with a request to change to class C1 and a health certificate certifying that they are qualified to drive class C1,” Mr. Thong advised.

Regarding cases where drivers have accidentally changed from B1, B2 to B, Mr. Thong said it was because the drivers had not thoroughly studied the new regulations.

Specifically, the Law on Road Traffic Safety and Order clearly stipulates that old B1 and B2 driving licenses will be exchanged for B or C1 driving licenses (according to the new driving license classification). In particular, C1 licenses are allowed to drive all vehicles in class B, and trucks with a total designed weight of over 3.5 tons to 7.5 tons.

Thus, if the driver chooses to change to class B, he will be at a disadvantage, but changing to class C1 gives the driver more benefits such as being able to drive all class B vehicles and trucks with a load capacity of over 3.5 tons to 7.5 tons.

Mr. Thong affirmed that during the process of issuing and renewing driver's licenses, old B1 and B2 licenses can be converted directly to new C1 licenses if the driver does not want to convert to B. However, automatic B1 licenses after being issued and renewed can only drive automatic vehicles, not manual vehicles.

Answering the question about whether a driver's license that has been mistakenly changed from B1, B2 to B can be changed back to C1, Mr. Thong said that if a driver wants to change back to C1, he/she must contact the Department of Transport (where the B class driver's license was issued) to cancel the issued B class and redo the procedure to change to C1.