With the official announcement of the new 600-question driving test by the Ministry of Public Security, Ms. Tran Diem Phuc (from Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City) initially felt a bit anxious about having to review the theory.
Drivers need more than just driving skills
Upon preliminary review, Ms. Phuc assessed that the new curriculum is more advanced and the questions are less tricky compared to the previous version, so less time will be needed to answer them. “Traffic laws and signs must be easy to understand for people to easily learn, remember, and practice when participating in traffic,” Ms. Phuc commented on how the curriculum interacts with learners.
Sharing the same view, Mr. Phan Minh Trong (from District 7, Ho Chi Minh City) also highly appreciated the new curriculum. The young man added that through revision, updated knowledge will be absorbed and internalized, helping drivers become truly skilled, civilized, and polite.
The Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Police Department informed that the Traffic Police Department has provided guidance on the application of the new driving theory test curriculum.
The concerns mentioned by Ms. Phuc and Mr. Trong reflect the worries of many people who are about to take the road driving test. Information from the Traffic Police Department – Ministry of Public Security confirmed that from June 1st, the new curriculum with 600 questions will be officially applied.
A notable point in this curriculum is that, for the first time, it includes content related to electric vehicles, with many questions focusing on the principles of operation and safety when using electric vehicles.
The curriculum is designed to comprehensively evaluate drivers’ knowledge, ethics, practical situations, and traffic handling skills. Compared to the previous curriculum compiled by the Ministry of Transport, the number of questions remains the same, but many have been modified and supplemented. This is to update and align with the provisions of the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety and to prevent cheating and rote learning. The “failing” group of questions relates to dangerous behaviors such as running red lights and drunk driving; answering these questions incorrectly will result in an immediate fail.
According to the Traffic Police Department, the transition between the old and new driving test curricula has been carefully calculated. Candidates who registered before January 1, 2025, will continue to take the old curriculum until August 31, 2025. Those who registered from January 1, 2025, onwards will take the new curriculum, and after September 1, 2025, all candidates will take the new curriculum without exception.
Resolving 119,000 backlogged applications
A representative of the Traffic Police Department (PC08) – Ho Chi Minh City Police informed that the Traffic Police Department has provided guidance on the application of the new driving theory test curriculum. Training centers are well-aware of when their students registered, when they will take the test, and if they meet the testing requirements. Therefore, students should proactively contact their training centers to determine which curriculum (old or new) applies to their course and their test.
The training centers submit the dossiers of students eligible to take the old or new test, after which PC08 will approve the test dossiers.
To resolve the 119,000 backlogged applications in Ho Chi Minh City, plans to increase testing boards and the number of candidates have been considered.
Additionally, PC08 shared that on May 14, the first driving test was organized at the Hoc Mon Driving Test Center in Hoc Mon District for 200 students, marking the official transfer of driving test and license issuance responsibilities from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport (now the Department of Construction) to the Ho Chi Minh City Police. Since then, the Ho Chi Minh City Police, together with the training and testing centers in the area, have been conducting tests from Monday to Sunday. On weekends, the number of examinees is increased to facilitate the public and quickly clear the backlog.
To date, the Ho Chi Minh City Police have resolved about 8,000 out of 119,000 backlogged applications for both cars and motorcycles. Starting June 6, additional testing boards will be established to clear the backlog and serve the public.
Also, according to the representative of PC08, the Traffic Police Department has directed the Traffic Police Departments of provinces and cities to promptly complete the processes and procedures to organize driving tests as soon as possible in their localities. Therefore, people should not be too anxious and withdraw their applications from one province to submit them in another.
A representative of the Vocational Driving Training Center in Ho Chi Minh City said that they have implemented a number of organizational training and pre-test revision activities. The center encourages students to proactively contact the center or the teacher in charge to be guided in reviewing according to the correct set of questions (old or new) suitable for their course to best prepare for the tests.
No concessions for violations
Circular 12/2025 of the Ministry of Public Security stipulates that the content of the driving test for categories A1, A, and B1 includes both theory and practice. If the theory test is not passed, the candidate can still take the practical test. Candidates who pass the theory or practical driving test will have their results reserved for retaking the failed part within one year.
Also, according to this Circular, those who have not resolved administrative violations in the field of road traffic will not be allowed to take the driving test. Therefore, candidates need to complete the payment of fines or handling of violations before registering for the test.
The Traffic Police Department recommends that candidates honestly study and take the test to ensure their ability to control the vehicle and maintain traffic order. Absolutely do not buy and sell fake driver’s licenses or use illegal licenses. This poses a great danger to traffic safety and society and is a serious violation of the law and will be dealt with strictly.
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