The Ho Chi Minh City Police fined Mr. Z.T. (75 years old, Chinese nationality) and Ms. T.T.N.T. (43 years old, living in Ho Chi Minh City) for driving an electric suitcase on Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1, with a fine of 225,000 VND per person is reasonable.
Because electric suitcases are not a legal means of transportation and are not allowed to circulate on streets or public areas in Vietnam. These two people used suitcases to move on the road, violating the provisions of the Road Traffic Law.
However, this penalty also exposes a worth pondering reality.
Electric suitcase is a unique hybride device that can hold luggage and be a means of personal transportation thanks to an electric motor and wheels.
In countries such as Japan, Singapore or the US, riding suitcases is quite familiar at airports such as Changi, Narita and walking areas, helping users move quickly at a maximum speed of about 15km/h.
Many electrical suitcase models also have integrated charging batteries, simple controls, and even GPS on some high-end models, becoming a symbol of modern utility technology.
But when it "disappears" on District 1 Street - where motorbikes and cars crowded - it becomes an unpredictable danger. As Ho Chi Minh City Police recommended, this behavior "easy to cause accidents".
It is worth mentioning that the problem is not only Mr. Z.T's behavior. or Ms. T.T.N.T., "easy to cause accidents" but Vietnamese law does not have specific regulations for new technological equipment such as suitcases, one-wheeled electric vehicles, balance vehicles...
Therefore, Ho Chi Minh City Police have flexibly classified this behavior as the crime of "using a slide, boat, or similar equipment on the road" according to Decree 168/2024/ND-CP and fined 225,000 VND.
Technology is increasingly diverse, but Vietnam's traffic laws are "leaving behind". And the fine for riding electric suitcases is not the only case, because before that, devices such as electric scooters and hoverboards (electric slips) caused similar controversy when they were banned in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City many years ago.
If not updated promptly, these devices will continue to appear on the streets, leading to the risk of accidents and difficulties in management.
Mr. Z.T.'s behavior - a tourist who may be used to using suitcases at Chinese airports - shows that foreigners are vulnerable because they do not understand local regulations, while in the case of Ms. T.T.N.T. reflects the lack of awareness of a part of the domestic population towards new things.
electricity on Le Thanh Ton Street is not only a story of traffic violations but a lesson showing that technology is developing faster than the regulations of Vietnamese law in some areas, and needs to be adjusted accordingly.
If we do not act quickly, we will always "follow" to punish other suitcases, instead of leading them into a framework and order.
