Vietnamese man fined $340 after teen nieces film helmetless motorcycle ride with toddler

Police in Van Ban Commune, Lao Cai Province said on Saturday that they had identified and summoned those involved in a video showing two teenage girls and a young child traveling on a motorcycle without helmets.

The motorcycle owner, identified as L.N.D. and the girls’ uncle, was fined VND9 million (over $340) for allowing a person who was not legally eligible to operate a motorcycle to use his vehicle, police said.

Earlier on Thursday, authorities discovered the footage on Facebook after it was uploaded by an account named ‘Kieu Trang,’ prompting local police to launch an investigation.

Investigators found that L.T.T. was riding the motorcycle while carrying another teenage girl, N.T.K.T., and a boy perched atop a suitcase.

None of the three was wearing a helmet, investigators confirmed.

Both girls were under 16, while the boy was born in 2023.

Police said N.T.K.T., who was sitting behind the rider, used a cellphone to film the trip before posting the footage online.

Van Ban police later summoned those involved for questioning and completed procedures to transfer the case to the traffic police division under the Lao Cai Department of Public Security for further handling.

Because they were both under 16, the two girls received warnings instead of administrative fines.

N.T.K.T. was warned for not wearing a helmet while travelling on a motorcycle.

L.T.T. received the same warning, along with another warning for operating a motorcycle without meeting the conditions required by law.