The head of the road traffic police team under Khanh Hoa Province Police Department said on May 14 that officers were completing procedures to issue administrative penalties against two foreign tourists for riding motorbikes without licences recognised under Vietnamese law.
Earlier, on the evening of May 13, traffic police carried out patrols and inspections targeting violations involving foreign nationals in Nha Trang Ward.
During the operation, officers discovered that a Russian man and a Canadian man were both riding motorbikes without valid international driving permits accepted in Vietnam.
Police said the Canadian tourist repeatedly protested and shouted at officers after being stopped. He argued that his tourist visa exempted him from the requirement to hold an international driving permit.
After officers explained the regulations, the vehicles were impounded and violation records were issued in accordance with the law.
A Canadian man reacts during an inspection despite not having a driving licence (Photo: Quoc Bui).
According to the traffic police team, authorities have handled 123 cases involving foreign nationals violating road safety and traffic order regulations since the beginning of the year.
The violations included 19 cases of driving without a licence, 19 cases of handing vehicles to unqualified drivers, eight drink driving offences, 71 helmet related violations and eight other offences.
Total fines imposed exceeded VND 320 million (approximately USD 12,500).
Earlier, on May 5, police in Nha Trang Ward placed a 35-year-old Russian national, Smoliakov Konstantin, under criminal investigation over an alleged serious traffic offence.
According to investigators, Konstantin had been drinking with friends in the early hours of May 4 before riding a motorbike back to his accommodation.
Police said he lost control of the vehicle while intoxicated and struck a local woman, killing her.
Test results showed his blood alcohol concentration measured 268.8 mg per 100 ml of blood.