A little bit of officialdom

I have a Vietnamese driver's licence!

There is a process by which I can "exchange" my NSW driver's licence for a Vietnamese one. I am still only licensed to drive cars but it is useful to have the document anyway even if I am driving a motorbike. Apparently ...

The process is:

1. go to the Department of Transport and Communication and collect the form
2. go to the Foreign Affairs office and get the NSW driver's licence translated (cost = 110,000 VND)
3. collect the photocopy and translation
4. fill in the application form, put a photo on it and get someone to authorise it (in my case I was able to ask ILA to do this)
5. get another 2 photos
6. take all these documents plus passport and visa and original licence back to the Department of Transport and Communication
7. submit the documents - get a receipt stating they have all the copies/translations/forms and have seen the originals
8. come back in a week and pay 30,000 VND - receive the licence.

Why did I bother? Well, Bao is trying to teach me to drive a motorbike, and we have all been advised by Anne (one of the teachers who is half Vietnamese) to get a licence even if it is just the car licence. It is possible to now also get the motorcycle licence by going for a driving test.