Crowded passenger cars used to be a familiar image every peak holiday and Tet. Many passengers, although uncomfortable, still accept it because they are afraid of missing their journey, afraid of being left on the way. But the 2026 Tet holiday shows a remarkable change, people are no longer easygoing.
Instead of enduring, they took out their phones to record violations and send information to functional forces. Just a few hours later, many vehicles were stopped for inspection and heavily fined right on the journey.
Passengers proactively reflect violations
At about 11:45 am on February 18, 2026, after receiving feedback from people, the Director of the Traffic Police Department directed the Traffic Police Department - Bac Ninh Provincial Police to stop and inspect passenger car license plate 29F-012. XX running a fixed route with a distance of over 300km. Actual inspection showed that the vehicle was carrying 50 people on a 21-seater car.
For this act, driver N.M. H (born 1982, residing in Lao Cai) was fined 43.5 million VND and had 10 points of his driver's license deducted; the vehicle owner was fined 174 million VND, and was also stripped of his badge for 1 to 3 months.
Two days later (February 20), from receiving feedback on the expressway, Highway Traffic Police Team No. 1 (Traffic Police Department) stopped to inspect passenger car license plate 19B-013. XX. Direct counting determined that the car was carrying 40 people with more than 28 seats. With the identified violation, driver V.V.T. T (born 1986, residing in Xuan Vien commune, Phu Tho province) was fined 6 million VND; the car owner, L.V Transport and Tourism Joint Stock Company, was fined 24 million VND.
Also on February 20, Highway Traffic Police Team No. 6 inspected passenger car 79H-045. xx running a long route, detecting carrying 30 people over 24 seats. Driver N.X. H (born 1972, residing in Khanh Hoa) was fined 9 million VND, vehicle owner was fined 36 million VND according to regulations.
Previously, from people's reflections on some passenger cars crammed with people, the Director of the Traffic Police Department directed the Traffic Police Department of Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang and Thai Nguyen provinces to urgently verify.
At 11 pm on February 13 in Phu Tho, functional forces stopped vehicle 25B-002. xx running a fixed route of over 300km. Driver N.M. T (born 1980, residing in Son Tay, Hanoi) was carrying 65 people on a 34-seat vehicle; and also carrying luggage exceeding the size and non-functioning journey monitoring equipment.
Also on the night of February 13th, at 10:56 PM in Thai Nguyen, car 22H-026. xx was inspected and discovered carrying 62 people on a 19-seater car driven by V.Q. H (born 1971, residing in Phuc Yen, Phu Tho).
All of the above cases are handled according to the provisions of Decree 168/2024/ND-CP for both drivers and vehicle owners.
In Hai Phong, at about 10 pm on February 10, 2026, Road Traffic Police Team No. 5 (Traffic Police Department, Hai Phong City Police) stopped passenger car 23B-004. xx running the Ha Giang - Hai Phong route. At the time of inspection, the car had 72 passengers while the vehicle was only allowed to carry 41 beds and 1 seat.
Driver H.Q. H (born 1983, residing in Bac Ninh) and the car owner were fined a total of 193.5 million VND, along with revocation of badges for 2 months and deduction of 4 points from the driver's license.
Focus on controlling passenger transport in the last days of the Tet holiday
I remember in previous years, there were few passenger cars going to the northern mountainous communes. When crammed, lying in the lane, passengers still had to endure. If they reacted, they could get off the car. But now there are more choices, if you don't take this car, take another car," shared Mr. Lo Van Thao (Son La).
In fact, in the past, many people were afraid of missing their trips, afraid of collisions, or thought that reflections would "not solve anything", so they had to accept sitting temporarily, sharing beds, or even standing for hundreds of kilometers of journey.
Up to now, when information reception is carried out quickly and there is a specific response, passengers have been more proactive in protecting their rights and safety. Just a photo of the car compartment full of people or a text message with the location they are moving is enough for functional forces to verify, organize to stop vehicles on the right route, and handle it immediately on the same day.
According to the Traffic Police Department, in the last two days of the Binh Ngo Tet holiday (5th and 6th days of Tet), the force will focus on controlling passenger transport business vehicles, strictly handling acts such as: carrying more people than prescribed; carrying goods in the passenger compartment or on the roof of the vehicle; carrying oversized and overloaded goods; speeding.
The Traffic Police force affirmed that it will continue to receive feedback from people through the fanpage, VNeTraffic application and the phone number of the Director of the Traffic Police Department to promptly verify and handle, ensuring safety for people during peak travel days after Tet.
