Proposing the Ministry of Public Security to test and issue driving licenses

The report of the Ministry of Home Affairs sent to the Government Steering Committee on January 11 on the summary of Resolution 18 also proposed transferring the functions and tasks of state management of drug addiction treatment, post-treatment management of drug addiction and prevention of social evils currently assigned to the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs to the Ministry of Public Security.

The task of state management of criminal records and implementation of public services of issuing criminal records certificates, currently under the management of the Ministry of Justice, is also proposed to be transferred to the Ministry of Public Security.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said that transferring the above three functional groups to the Ministry of Public Security will not increase the number of units under this unit.

To ensure effectiveness in implementing four key tasks: security and order in border areas and border gates; state management of immigration; information security, network security and aviation security, the Ministry of Home Affairs requests the Government Steering Committee to give opinions to perfect the functions and tasks of the Ministry of Public Security and related units.

According to the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety 2024, the Minister of Transport regulates the form, content, and examination process for granting driving licenses; conditions and standards for examiners, training organization, and issuance of examiner cards; technical standards for driving practice grounds for testing motorcycle drivers, and national technical regulations on road motor vehicle driving testing centers.

Driving tests for military and police forces performing defense and security duties are prescribed by the Minister of National Defense and the Minister of Public Security.

Currently, the Vietnam Road Administration is responsible for managing testing and issuing driving licenses nationwide; the Department of Vehicle and Driver Management advises the Director to perform the functions and tasks of managing testing and issuing driving licenses (testing management agency). The Department of Transport is responsible for managing testing and issuing driving licenses within the province and centrally-run city.

The transfer of the agency in charge of testing and issuing driving licenses from the Ministry of Transport to the Ministry of Public Security has been discussed many times in the National Assembly since the drafting of the two laws separated from the Road Traffic Law. However, the Ministry of Public Security later proposed that the draft Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety would not specifically stipulate the authority to manage training, testing and issuing driving licenses as previously submitted to the 14th National Assembly, instead leaving the responsibility to the Government.