Following instructions from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security, Da Nang’s traffic police are being mobilised to be on duty along local streets to check and handle alcohol-related violations.

A driver undergoes a breathalyser test

For instance, at 7pm on Tuesday local traffic police officers were operating 6 checkpoints in the city with the assistance of the local rapid response police 113, the criminal police, militia groups, and others from the city-based Road-Railway Traffic Police Department.  They were equipped with blood alcohol concentration calculators, cameras, and specialised police vehicles.

The Head of the Da Nang Traffic Police Division, Col Le Ngoc, said that the use of personal breathalysers to test road users is fraught with difficulties.  A key reason is that people who drink too much alcohol cannot control their behaviour, so they do not want to cooperate with the police.  He, therefore, stressed the need for local police officers to calmly explain to road users about their violations and the harmful effects of alcoholic beverages, as well as remind them about the city’s traffic laws.  

However, many local police officers have experienced unexpected situations.  For example, at 7.30pm on 16 August, local police checked the driving licence of a 37-year-old man from Ha Tinh Province.  However, the man abandoned his motorcycle, registration number 43S6-0498, and ran away after he had been asked by the police to undergo a breathalyser test.  His motorcycle was taken to the Police Department’s parking area.

According to a spokesperson for the city’s Traffic Police Division, local police officers dealt with 36 alcohol-related violations by road users between 1pm on 16 August and 1pm on 17 August.

Fines totalling over 140 million VND were imposed on 245 drivers for violating the city's traffic laws.  During that time, 13 cars and 28 motorbikes were temporarily seized, and 23 driving licences were temporarily revoked.