Bus driver assaulted by passenger while bus in motion in north-central Vietnam

A video more than two minutes long, capturing the incident, surfaced on local social media on Wednesday afternoon, drawing widespread outrage.

The footage shows a male passenger leaning forward from his seat toward the driver, shouting and swearing.

As the bus continued moving, the man suddenly struck the driver, catching him off guard.

Startled passengers immediately intervened, urging the driver to pull over to prevent a potential traffic accident.

The assault occurred on bus route No. 32 on Wednesday afternoon.

Social media users widely condemned the passenger’s violent behavior, especially as it endangered everyone on board, and called on authorities to take strict action.

The driver involved, 50-year-old Nguyen Van Thu from Kim Lien Commune, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the bus had picked up three passengers in Luong Son Commune at around 3:00 pm, including two women and the man.

Thu said he had reminded the man to settle into his seat so the bus could stay on schedule.

“While I was driving, he suddenly began cursing and hit me in the head and face,” the driver recalled.

“Fortunately, I was going slowly at the time and managed to stop the bus before losing control."

Roughly 10 minutes later, some relatives of the man arrived and asked the driver to open the door so he could get off the bus, about 500 meters from where he had boarded.

Thu, who has worked as a bus driver for more than a decade, said this was the first time he had ever been assaulted by a passenger.

Local police in Luong Son Commune have instructed Thu to file an official report so the incident can be investigated and handled according to regulations.