By the end of the year, all new driving licenses issued in Hanoi will be upgraded to regional standard.

Eventually, it is planned to make the licenses acceptable throughout the world.

Deputy Head of the Vietnam Road Department Nguyen Van Quyen said that the new license will be printed in both Vietnamese and English on durable material expected to last much longer.

High technology will be used to produce them, making them much harder to forge.

Quyen said the addition of a bar code will enable the licenses to be traced or replaced quickly using information technology. This will also save time for license applicants.

The department said a project is under way to equip transport branches throughout the nation with printers and scanners worth US$1 million. This has been sponsored by the World Bank.

Hanoi will be the first city in the nation to upgrade licenses.