No more beer-fueled pedal power for you.
Tuoi Tre reports that bicyclists will be fined VND400,000-600,000 if they are discovered cycling after drinking alcohol from January 1.
This is part of Government Decree 100/2019/ND-CP, and went into effect on the same day as the new Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Alcoholic Beverages. The law strictly prohibits driving a vehicle after consuming any amount of alcoholic beverages.
Taken together, the two above regulations effectively ban drunk driving across most forms of transportation. Car drivers can now be fined VND30-40 million and have their driver's license revoked for up to two years for driving while drunk, while motorbike drivers face fines of VND6-8 million and a two-year license revocation as well.
Driving after having a few drinks is not an uncommon practice in Vietnam. However, the frequency with which alcohol-related accidents have occurred recently is worrying. One of Saigon's most high-profile DUIs was in 2018, when a driver rammed her BMW into a crowd of motorbikes stopping at a red light, killing one and injuring seven. She was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison.
The news source shares that the new laws also aim to crack down on driving while on drugs, driving in the wrong lane or in the opposite direction of traffic, and reversing on a highway.
