According to Decree 168/2024/ND-CP (effective from January 1, 2025), the fine for motorbikes driving on the sidewalk is from 4-6 million VND (previously the fine was from 400,000-600,000 VND).
This has partly contributed to raising people's awareness when participating in traffic.
According to Lao Dong on January 9, the number of people driving on the sidewalk has decreased significantly, even though there is congestion during rush hour.
At around 8am on Nguyen Tat Thanh Street (District 4, from District 7 to District 1) - the road considered the most congested in the city, the image of people driving onto the sidewalk to move still occurs but has decreased significantly.
Mr. Duong Tan Hung (living in District 7) said that since the new fine was applied, he has rarely seen people driving on the sidewalk.
"Before, people used to ride on the sidewalk a lot. Almost every hour, you could see people "climbing" the sidewalk. Now, it's still there, but I see it's decreased a lot," said Mr. Hung.
Similarly, on other routes in the center of Ho Chi Minh City such as Truong Dinh, Ba Huyen Thanh Quan, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai..., although traffic jams and congestion occur frequently, most people patiently wait to move on the road.
Regularly walking to work every morning, Ms. Xuan Huong (46 years old, living in District 3) said she was very surprised by the images in recent days.
Ms. Huong said: "In the past, every morning when I walked on the sidewalk to the company, there were still people riding motorbikes behind me honking loudly, telling me to move aside. I felt very uncomfortable. However, in recent days, this situation has decreased, many days I no longer see motorbikes on the sidewalk."
At a regular press conference on January 9, a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department said that from January 1 to 7, the city's traffic police force inspected and detected 11,830 violations, temporarily detained 4,333 vehicles. The fines were estimated at VND42.5 billion.
According to Ho Chi Minh City Police, since Decree 168/2024 took effect, traffic order and safety in the city have had many positive changes as people have raised their awareness and sense of responsibility in strictly complying with traffic laws.
"Currently, drivers are more serious when stopping at traffic lights, stopping at the right line, and are more orderly, even during rush hour. The situation of drivers driving on the sidewalk, driving on the wrong side of the road, and driving in the wrong direction has been greatly reduced," said a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department.
