Vietnam deputy PM urges zero tolerance for drink-driving, calls it a crime

Speaking at a national conference reviewing road safety performance in 2025, Ha said enforcement should target 90-percent compliance in the short term and move toward 100 percent of drivers not violating alcohol limits.

Vietnam enforces a strict zero-tolerance drunk driving law, forbidding any alcohol consumption while operating a vehicle, effective since January 1, 2025.

Any detectable amount of alcohol in a driver's breath or blood is illegal, with severe fines and license suspensions applied.

Tiered penalties still exist for different alcohol levels, however.

Despite a sharp drop in traffic accidents last year, deaths and injuries remain at alarming levels, Ha said. 

He cited some localities where road fatalities exceeded 14-15 people per 100,000 residents.

Ha, who chairs the National Traffic Safety Committee, said human behavior remained the main cause of serious accidents. 

He ordered stricter driver training, testing, and licensing, and asked the Ministry of Public Security to submit detailed plans.

He also called on the Ministry of Construction to conduct a comprehensive review of vehicle inspection, technical safety, and vehicle modification, after a series of recent accidents linked to mechanical and inspection issues. 

The ministry took over transport and vehicle oversight functions following a merger with the former Ministry of Transport.

Urban and transport design should put safety first, prioritize public and green transport, and separate traffic by speed to reduce conflicts, he said.

Ha tasked police with leading a nationwide campaign to inspect passenger and freight transport operators, including drivers, companies and vehicles. 

The review should also look at infrastructure gaps such as rest stops and logistics facilities on long-distance routes.

For 2026, Ha said provinces and cities must commit to quantified targets to cut traffic accidents by at least 50 percent from 2025 levels, with higher goals for areas that have already achieved large reductions. 

He also called for all students to receive full traffic law education.

The deputy prime minister also asked the Ministry of Construction to draft a plan to end the operations of the National Traffic Safety Committee and propose a new, more effective governance model.

Accidents fall, but deaths remain high

At the conference, Le Kim Thanh, a vice-chairman of the committee, said 2025 was the first year Vietnam fully implemented a new legal framework on road traffic safety. 

Authorities handled 3.39 million violations nationwide and collected nearly VND6.9 trillion (US$262.6 million) in fines, both down from 2024.

Vietnam recorded 18,601 traffic accidents in 2025, killing 10,491 people and injuring 12,312, according to official data. 

Accidents fell 22.2 percent year on year, while deaths declined 6.4 percent and injuries nearly 30 percent.

Major General Do Thanh Binh, head of the Traffic Police Department, said most fatal accidents occurred on national highways, rural and provincial roads. 

Expressways accounted for just over one percent of the deaths. 

Accidents were most common in the late afternoon and at night, he added.