Good morning! Hello to all new readers, and welcome to the latest Vietnam Weekly.
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Quick programming note: posts will continue as normal next week, and then I’ll take a break for Tết.
Non-stop Traffic Talk
I rarely cover the same topic in consecutive weeks, but Decree 168 (aka the increased traffic fine regulation) remains the dominant topic of discussion across traditional media, social media, and daily conversations. It’s unusual for something to take over the zeitgeist so comprehensively. (If you missed last week’s explainer, catch up here.)
The general tenor is that the massive new fines for traffic violations have created some positive outcomes, while also exacerbating existing problems.
According to Lao Động, the Ministry of Public Security found that cases of people driving on the sidewalk and the wrong way on one-way streets significantly decreased since January 1, especially in major cities.
Several photo-based articles have noted more orderly streets, with crowds of vehicles obediently stopped at red lights and clear sidewalks next to backed-up traffic.
But that backed-up traffic is also being largely attributed to Decree 168, with a particular focus on right turns at red lights and driving on the sidewalk. (Though it’s difficult to correctly portion out blame right now in the run-up to Tết when traffic is always worse as people prepare for the biggest holiday of the year.)
The red light topic is particularly interesting, with traffic police saying more research is needed, while HCMC has hurriedly installed dozens of signs allowing motorbikes to turn right on red at dozens of intersections.
But even these aren’t helping: some motorbike drivers are so scared of the new fines that they don’t turn right even when there is a green arrow.
It’s clear that the debate over Decree 168 won’t go away anytime soon.
Russia & Nuclear Energy
While Vietnam’s nuclear energy plans remain up in the air after the National Assembly approved the resumption of this issue in November, there was some movement this week.
In December, Tuổi Trẻ reported that Russia’s Ambassador to Vietnam, Gennady Bezdetko, said his country was ready to help restart the Ninh Thuận nuclear power project. The two sides had been cooperating on one of the two planned plants in the south-central province, with Japan involved in the other one before the projects were shelved in 2016.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin conducted a two-day official visit to Hanoi earlier this week, during which he signed an agreement “to boost cooperation on nuclear energy,” according to the Associated Press.
Alexey Likhachev, the general director of Rosatom, the Russian state corporation specializing in nuclear energy that was previously involved in the Ninh Thuận project, was also in Hanoi to discuss the topic.
Of course, these agreements don’t mean that a nuclear plant is finalized. In December, Tuổi Trẻ reported that the Ministry of Industry and Trade warned the project will cost billions of dollars, while officials said earlier this month that Vietnam doesn’t yet have enough engineers and experts to revive its nuclear ambitions.
Southeast Asia Spotlight
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!
Have a great weekend!
Mike Tatarski
