Vehicle registration plates of Vietnam generally take the form DDLL-DDD.DD for vehicles. Standard license plates have black characters on white background. Front plates measure 47 × 11 cm, rear ones are 27 × 20.[citation needed] In 2020 and 2021, both plates measure 6 x 12. The current scheme for civilian vehicles omits the letters I, J, O, Q and W, with the letter R reserved for trailers, and includes the Vietnamese character Đ.
Vietnamese plate example (1975–1995)
History
French protectorate
In French Indochina, license plates were white-on-black on XXX1111 type, XXX is location code. 1111 can be anything (serial numbers).
1978–1984
Vietnamese plates in 1978–1984 were white-on-black and similar to previous one, but had 4 digits then 3 letters. 3 letters are city name, but based on Vietnamese language.
1984–2003
From 1984 to 2003 (current version) is black-on-white, then later green-on-white, with city name. Plates were A 1111 format, then 1A 1111 format, then AA 1111 format, then was going to switch to AAA 111 format, but the plan was cancelled. The leading two symbols are two digits, representing the province/municipality. The exact date of format changing is unknown. In 2012 a blue strip with a "VN" will be added on the left-hand side of the plates, as required by the new ASEAN licensing agreement.
The leading two numerals refer to the various provinces and major municipalities of Vietnam, unless they are letters (AA, AB, AC, and so on) which signify that the car belongs to the Ministry of Defence – in which case the plate will be red. Some plates also carry a red two-letter code following the provincial numerals, with "NG" (for ngoại giao) used for a diplomatic or NGO plate and "LD" for a vehicle belonging to a company which is 100% foreign-owned. If a colored letter (A, B, or C) follows the province code, the vehicle belongs to the local government.
Colors
A blue plate issued for the Cần Thơ (65) city authorities.
President's cars, Government's cars, law enforcement cars – White on blue[1]
Diplomat's cars – Black on white with red NG code[4]
Foreigner-owned cars – Black on white with black NN code[4]
Formats
Regular plates
Vietnamese private vehicle plate (pre-2020 template).Vinfast vehicles featuring the short and long white plates (2020 template)
The format for regular plates began in 1984, with a modification made in 2010 to increase registration capacity. The system itself resembles an inverted FNI system of France. The registration format of the 2010 system is 12A-345.67, where 12 is the regional code, A is the serial letter, and 345.67 is the registration number. Regular plates have black lettering on white background.
Double-letter serials for special uses also exist for regular plates:
Sample template for specialized vehicles
Serial
Used for
DA
Foreign investment companies
HC
Vehicles allowed to work in limited time of day only
After 1 August 2020, all commercial vehicles in Vietnam must change to a yellow color vehicle plate.[3]
NNL N N N N
NNL NNN.NN
NNL-N N N N
NNL-NNN.NN
State-owned format
Vehicles of state organizations receive plates with white lettering on blue backgrounds. The format is either NNL-NNN.NN or NNL-NNNN, where NN is the regional code, L is the serial, NNN.NN/NNNN is the number.
NNL N N N N
NNL NNN.NN
NNL-N N N N
NNL-NNN.NN
Motorcycles
Motorcycles receive two-line plates of the NN-LL/NNN.NN (or equivalently NNLL-NNN.NN on registration certificate), which replaced the previous NN-LN/NNNN and NN-LN/NNN.NN format (which are still effective in circulation), with black lettering on white backgrounds.
NN-LN N N N N
NN-LN NNN.NN
NN-LL NNN.NN
Two-wheel vehicles registered before August 15, 2023, with electric power source use the NN-MĐN/NNN.NN format.
NN-MĐN NNN.NN
Diplomatic plates
A Vietnam diplomatic plate for international organizations. The numbers 27 and 547 signifying an international organization based in Điện Biên province.
Diplomatic plates have their status codes in red, and the numbers in black on a white background.
Diplomatic personnel based in Hanoi receive the 80-123-NG-45 format, where the red NG stood for ngoại giao, or "diplomatic", 123 being the country/organization code (e.g. 636 for South Korea), and 45 the registration the number. 01 is reserved for the head of the diplomatic mission, while the rest are given numbers from 02 to 99. Diplomatic mission based outside Hanoi received standard region codes instead of the 80 reserved for Hanoi. For example, diplomatic vehicles based in Da Nang would have a 43-123-NG-45 plate.
International organizations based in Hanoi receive the 80-123-QT-45 format, where 80 is the code signifying national importance (i.e. being stationed in Hanoi), the red QT for quốc tế or "International", 123 the country code, and 45 the number (01 for the head of the organization, 02-99 for other members).
International organizations based outside Hanoi receive a slightly different format of 12-QT-345-67, where 12 is the regional code, 345 being the country code, and 67 the number.
Status code
Meaning
NG (ngoại giao)
Diplomatic
NN (nước ngoài)
Foreigners without diplomatic status
QT (quốc tế)
International organizations
12-NN 345.67
12-NN-345.67
A temporary plate example. A long-plate alternative is also available and issued, makes it "T80-235.88"
Temporary plates
Temporary plates are two-line plates with the TNN-NNN.NN format, where T signifies the temporary nature of the plate, NNN.NN being the regional code and NNN.NN being the number.
Vehicle plate for military vehicle.The 2021 standardized templates for Vietnamese military vehicles. The physical plate also features an inscripted Vietnam People's Army emblem on the plate.
Military format
Military vehicles bear red plates with white lettering in the format of AB-12-34, where AB is the unit code, and 12-34 being the number.
Military motorcycles receive the two-line AB/123 format, where AB is the unit code, and 123 the number. Mopeds receive an additional letter A after the number.
^ abc"Trailer trucks using fake military license plates confiscated in southern Vietnam". tuoitrenews.vn. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 2016-11-02. In Vietnam, license plates are color-coded to identify vehicles' registered use, with white for individuals or businesses, dark blue for civilian administrative bodies, red for military units, and yellow for construction units or border commands.
^ ab"Vietnam tries to clamp down on illegal use of diplomatic cars". Thanh Nien Daily. 2013-09-23. Retrieved 2016-11-02. Foreigners and diplomats are allowed to import cars tax-free for personal use, and they must use license plates marked NN (in black) and NG (in red), respectively.[dead link]
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