Vietnamese bus driver, owner fined over $8,000 for stuffing 83 passengers in 45-seater vehicle
Police confirmed on Friday they had fined a bus driver and the vehicle owner a combined VND207 million (US$8,006) after the driver was caught transporting 83 passengers in a 45-seater bus on the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway in northern Vietnam.
A traffic police officer inspects a bus carrying 83 passengers despite having only 45 seats in Vietnam, February 13, 2026. Photo: Vietnam’s Traffic Police Department
Traffic police said they stopped the bus on Friday morning after receiving a tip-off from citizens via Vietnamese messaging app Zalo.
The driver, identified as L.V.D., a 40-year-old resident of Tuyen Quang Province, northern Vietnam, was operating the long-distance route exceeding 300 kilometers.
Authorities determined the bus was carrying nearly double its legal capacity.
The driver was fined VND57 million ($2,204) and had four points deducted from his 12-point license.
The bus owner, a cooperative based in Tuyen Quang, was fined VND150 million ($5,802) and had its fixed-route permit revoked for two months.
The Traffic Police Department, under the Ministry of Public Security, encouraged citizens to continue reporting violations through its hotlines, official Facebook page, provincial police offices, or the VNeTraffic mobile app.
Minh Duy - Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre News