Fearing the New Traffic Law
And the air quality crisis deepens
Good morning! Hello to all new readers, and welcome to the latest Vietnam Weekly - the first Friday recap of 2025.
As mentioned in December, moving forward only a shortened version (like this one) will be available to readers of the free edition of the newsletter. To access the full recap and all other paying subscriber benefits, upgrade for US$8/month or US$80/year below. Group subscriptions are also available at a 20% discount per person.
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The New Road Safety Decree
In a move with little warning (unless I missed it), a new decree that went into effect on January 1 significantly increased fines for many traffic violations. This topic has dominated domestic and social media over the past 10 days.
According to VnExpress International, motorbike drivers now face fines of up to VND6 million (US$235) for running a red light, driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street, or driving on the sidewalk.
This amount is up to 10 times higher than previous punishments.
If you’ve spent any time in a major Vietnamese city, you’ll know that such violations – especially among motorbike drivers – are constant.
It’s unsurprising, then, that this has generated intense coverage. On January 2nd, VnExpress International noted concerns among ride-hailing drivers (who, it must be said, often drive dangerously, though I know it’s not an easy job).
Some have argued that the new fines, particularly for motorbike drivers, are too high – indeed, they are equivalent to about a month’s salary for low-income workers – while others counter that lower fines have been on the books for years with little improvement in compliance.
One additional aspect of this decree is particularly fascinating: people who report traffic violations to the police are eligible to be rewarded with a maximum of 10% of the fine levied in response (or no more than VND5 million per case).
The details of this regulation are still being worked out, while some international websites have already picked this up as a ‘snitch law.’
The Air Quality Crisis
Another big topic of discussion recently has been poor air quality in Ho Chi Minh City and especially in Hanoi.
This Tuesday was particularly bad, with both cities ranking in the top three of the AirVisual app’s ‘most polluted cities’ ranking.
HCMC had some of the worst readings I’ve ever seen here.
According to VnExpress, that same day the Ministry of Health issued new recommendations for when air quality is ‘Unhealthy’ (101-200) and ‘Very Unhealthy’ (201-300).
National Assembly members also called this week for a full assessment of the capital’s air pollution sources. I was struck by a line in a Lao Động article noting that “Hanoi has not conducted a comprehensive inventory of air emission sources.”
To be sure, there’s no easy solution to air pollution given the multiple causes (including weather conditions), and this is a problem across many developing countries – but this is a real health challenge.
This is certainly something to keep an eye on moving forward.
Southeast Asia Spotlight
Instead of the usual Data Corner, I’d like to recommend a few other newsletters from the region (and a bit further afield) - we’re aiming to work together to present a fuller picture of this dynamic, complex part of the world. In no particular order:
We, The Citizens from Kirsten Han in Singapore
Indonesia at a Crossroads from Febriana Firdaus in Jakarta
Campuccino from Darathtey Din in Phnom Penh
Asia Undercovered from Seulki Lee in Seoul
Check them out!
Extra Links:
Đi Bão Is Vietnamese Culture at Its Most Jubilant, Raucous, and Fervent (Saigoneer)
Will the “Chronic Disease” of Vietnam’s Private Banks Ever Be Treated? (Fulcrum)
Sound of the City: Jack White & the Rise of Saigon’s Global Music Scene (Noise Saigon)
Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys were found in only two places on Earth. Now it’s one (Mongabay)
Vietnam Struggles to Avoid the Trump Administration’s Glare (Council on Foreign Relations)
Have a great weekend!
Mike Tatarski
