Elderly cyclist injured after car driver opens door without warning in Vietnam

The victim, identified as H., over 60 and a resident of Dien Chau Commune, received stitches for a head wound.

According to footage from a local resident’s security camera, the incident occurred at around 3:00 pm along a local road in the commune.

The footage showed a female driver parking a white car along the roadside before opening the door without checking behind her.

The door suddenly struck H., who was riding a bicycle in the same direction, causing her to fall onto the road.

At that moment, two people traveling on a motorbike from the opposite direction approached and collided with her, hitting her in the head and face.

Local residents quickly took the injured woman to a hospital for emergency treatment.

She was subsequently transferred to a provincial-level hospital, where doctors stitched her head wound.

Her condition has since stabilized.

Local police are taking witness statements and investigating the cause and circumstances of the accident.

Tougher penalties for unsafe car door opening

As per Vietnam’s Decree 168/2024, which took effect on January 1, 2025, opening a car door or leaving it open in an unsafe manner shall result in a fine of VND4-6 million (US$154-232), local media reported.

If the violation causes a traffic accident, the fine increases to VND20-22 million ($774-851).

The offending driver may also have 10 points deducted from their 12-point driver's license.

The penalties represent a substantial increase from those under the former Decree 100/2019, which prescribed fines of VND400,000-600,000 ($15.4-23.2) for unsafe car door opening without distinguishing between violations that caused accidents and those that did not.