Do foreigners need to take a driving test in Vietnam?

Based on Article 10 of Circular 12/2017/TT-BGTVT regulating the use and management of driver's licenses:

“Article 33. Use and management of driver's licenses

10. Foreigners or Vietnamese residing abroad who need to drive in Vietnam shall do as follows:

a) If they have a national driver's license, they must proceed to change it to the corresponding Vietnamese driver's license;

b) In cases where international treaties on driver's licenses in which Vietnam is a member have different provisions, the provisions of that international treaty shall apply.”

Therefore, foreigners who need to drive in Vietnam, if they have a driver's license in their own country, must proceed to change it to the corresponding Vietnamese driver's license; in cases where international treaties on driver's licenses in which Vietnam is a member have different provisions, the provisions of that international treaty shall apply.

Thus, your friend is not required to take the Vietnam driver's license test if their national driver's license allows them to drive the type of vehicle they need to drive in Vietnam, but they must change to the corresponding Vietnamese driver's license.

Only when their national driver's license does not cover the type of vehicle they need to drive in Vietnam, they must take the driver's license test in Vietnam.