What is the difference between B1 and B2 driving licenses?

According to Article 16 of Circular 12/2017/TT-BGTVT, Class B driving license includes 3 types: B1 automatic, B1 and B2. Specifically:

Class B1 automatic license is granted to non-professional drivers to drive the following types of vehicles:

Automatic car with up to 9 seats, including the driver's seat;

Trucks, including specialized trucks with automatic transmission, with a design load capacity of less than 3.5 tons;

Car for disabled people.

Class B1 is granted to non-professional drivers to drive:

Passenger cars with up to 9 seats, including the driver's seat;

Trucks, including specialized trucks with a design load capacity of less than 3.5 tons;

Tractor pulling a trailer with a design load capacity of less than 3.5 tons.

Class B2 is granted to professional drivers to operate the following types of vehicles:

Specialized vehicles with a design load of less than 3.5 tons;

Types of vehicles specified for class B1 driving license.

Similarities between B1 and B2

Conditions for studying and taking driving test:

Must be a Vietnamese citizen, a foreigner permitted to reside or currently working or studying in Vietnam;

18 years old - as of the date of driving test, in good health and culturally qualified (Article 60 of the 2008 Road Traffic Law).

Type of vehicle driven:

Passenger cars with up to 9 seats (except for B1 automatic cars), including the driver's seat;

Trucks, including specialized trucks with a design load capacity of less than 3.5 tons.

Difference

Drive different types of vehicles

B1 automatic driving license is used to drive non-professional vehicles such as: 4-9 seat automatic cars, automatic trucks with a load capacity of less than 3.5 tons, cars for the disabled.

B1 manual transmission driving license allows driving non-professional vehicles such as: 4-9 manual and automatic transmission cars and trucks with a load capacity of less than 3.5 tons.

B2 driver's license allows driving the following types of vehicles: 4-9 seat manual and automatic cars and trucks with a load capacity of less than 3.5 tons.

Thus, it can be understood that, when possessing a B1 Driver's License, the driver is not allowed to drive cars or trucks for business purposes but can only use them for personal and family transportation and company vehicles.

Different training time

Normally, each type of Driver's License will have its own training time suitable for the value of each type of license. Because B1 and B2 licenses have different amounts of traffic knowledge, the training time is also different.

Driving license validity

The validity of a B1 driving license is 55 years old for women and 60 years old for men. If the driver is over 45 years old for women and over 50 years old for men, the driving license is issued for 10 years from the date of issue.

B2 driving license is only valid for 10 years. When the 10-year term expires (from the date of issue), the driver needs to apply for renewal to continue using it.

Depending on their needs, drivers can choose a B1 or B2 driver's license appropriately.