The Directorate for Roads of Vietnam (DRVN), as part of an effort aimed at alleviating the global road safety crisis, has announced it would begin issuing international driving licenses early next year.

The DRVN has taken the action to strengthen the nation’s commitment to road safety in observation of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which calls for governments to implement policies and practices that would reduce road-crash risks.

The international driving permit would allow for Vietnamese citizens to operate motorbikes or cars while visiting foreign countries, and there would be reciprocity with Vietnam recognising licenses issued by foreign countries, according to the DRVN.

Nguyen Van Quyen, deputy head of the DRVN, said the issuance of the international driving license would be one more important step in the global integration process.

The Convention on Road Traffic, commonly known as the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, is an international treaty designed to facilitate international road traffic and to increase road safety by establishing standard traffic rules among the participating parties.

The convention has been ratified by 73 countries and by Vietnam at the United Nations Economic and Social Council's Conference on Road Traffic in Vienna in 1968, and came into effect in May 1977.

VOV/VNN