Attempting the impossible

I am attempting to get my Vietnamese driver's license! Let's see how long this process takes.  :P

After today, I am two steps in... of about 20. (No kidding.)

I've made copies of about every document possible (Colorado driver's license, passport, last stamp in my passport coming in to Vietnam, housing booklet, work visa, residency card, and my employment contract -- original and a copy) as well as having a total of 7 passport photos for the process.

So... first stop this morning? The U.S. Consulate. They took my phone and camera and then buzzed me through about 3 doors before I reached the room with a series of windows and I took a number... and sat until my # was called. (Good thing I always have a book in my purse!)

I was called up to window 3 to hand in my form and a passport photo... then sent to window 1 to pay the $50 for the stamp of approval. Well... my HSBC card wasn't working... so I took out cash to pay but apparently the U.S. Consulate in Vietnam only takes USD, even though we are in Vietnam, and that's why my HSBC card wouldn't work, because the account is full of dong, not USD.

I was told to sit and wait for the manager to come meet me at window 2.

After about 20 minutes, the manager met me at window 2... to tell me that I must go to a bank to exchange money and come back with $50 USD. She proceeded to tell me that the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh is like being in a little piece of America... uhhh... I don't think so.


As I turned to head out for a bank, a Vietnamese man standing near the door fanned out a bunch of US dollar bills and asked me, "You need some of these?"

Haha, creepy? A bit... but super nice!! I said, "Yes, please," and paid him dong for dollars.

Then it was back to window 2... to get my form from the manager.

...On to window 1 to pay (in US dollars).

...And back to window 3 to complete the process.

I left with no dong, no dollars, but did have the all-important form with a red stamp on it. Step one: completed.

After over an hour at the U.S. Consulate it was like springing back into freedom, walking out through the final set of doors into the blast of heat and noise of Le Duan Street.

THEN it was on to some kind of People's Committee building.

I waited at window 10 until the lady behind the window actually acknowledged me...

I gave her my form, she asked for my U.S. driver's license and two copies.

She then charged me 70,000 dong (it cost two other teachers 90,000 the morning before... and yet another 100,000 later that afternoon)...

And told me to come back Monday to pick up my translated copies of my license.

Step 2? - Completed!

After picking up the license Monday afternoon, I plan to move on to Step 3 with a couple of the other teachers at the middle school (a lovely group of 3 women who refer to themselves as The Pink Ladies... and even dressed up as such from Grease for Halloween!... since they all drive in to work together from District 7).

Skipping from Step 3 to the final step of our process (which will hopefully only take one try each)... it is the driver's test.

We've heard that we will have to take the test driving one of their bikes (a manual!)... and will need to drive a figure eight... so we plan to go to the track ahead of time to practice.

I am hoping that we will end up being able to use our own bikes... but not counting on it.

A foreigner getting his/her driver's license in Vietnam? Nearly impossible.

In order to be able to legally drive a motorbike in this crazy traffic with no rules... you must follow the country's rules and procedures to a T or be left in the dust (...or left on the back of a xe om's bike, I suppose).