Vietnam’s Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security said it has instructed relevant units to improve the quality of driving licence examinations and eliminate the long-standing practice of “tip-based learning” and shortcut test preparation.

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According to the Traffic Police Department, the pass rate for practical road driving tests has fallen by 28%. Photo: Dinh Hieu

On May 19, the department said it was tightening driving assessments to ensure newly licensed drivers possess proper technical ability, practical driving skills and ethical awareness.

According to the agency, creating a transparent and fair examination environment requires candidates to demonstrate genuine legal knowledge and real vehicle handling skills.

“Since tightening road driving assessments, the pass rate for this section of the car driving test this year has dropped by 28% compared to 2025,” a representative of the Traffic Police Department said.

The department added that increasing the difficulty of practical road tests, combined with screening traffic accident footage for candidates before examinations, has made many learners more conscious of their responsibilities behind the wheel or when operating motorcycles.

According to official statistics, between March 1, 2025 and May 7 this year, the overall pass rate was 54% for car licence candidates and 65% for motorcycle licence candidates.

For car driving tests, the pass rate for the theory section stood at 78%, while the figure was 68% for the simulated driving course and 89% for the practical road test.

For motorcycle licence tests, the pass rate reached 76% for theory and 89% for the practical riding assessment.

“In the coming period, the department will continue proposing changes to the theory test, focusing more on traffic rules, ethics and driving culture,” the department representative said. “The practical road test will also include additional scenarios involving traffic regulations and common violations in order to put an end to shortcut learning and shortcut test-taking.”

The Traffic Police Department said it would advise the Ministry of Public Security on introducing stricter regulations for driving assessments in line with the realities of modern traffic and transportation conditions.

The proposed reforms come as authorities are also considering removing the traffic simulation test from the driving licence examination process, a proposal that has received broad support from both learners and traffic experts.

Dinh Hieu