On the night of September 4, Hanoi Traffic Police’s Team 6 conducted patrols aiming at drink-driving violations on Le Duc Tho and Nguyen Hoang streets, where many bars and restaurants operate.
During a survey, Hanoi traffic police discovered a venue on Le Duc Tho Street with numerous cars and motorbikes parked outside, prompting them to set up a drink-driving checkpoint on the street. At the same time, two officers were stationed to prevent drivers from making U-turns as they left the venue.
One man was found with a blood alcohol concentration below 0.25mg/l of breath. He admitted to having just drunk beer at a pub on Le Duc Tho Street when he was stopped on his way home. Within about an hour, police detected 20 motorcyclists violating alcohol limits, with levels ranging from under 0.25mg/l to over 0.4mg/l of breath.
Another man was caught with an alcohol level of 0.777mg/l of breath, the highest violation. He was then fined VND 9 million (USD 370) and had his licence suspended for 23 months.
At 9.30 pm, traffic police officers monitoring U-turn violations spotted two men acting suspiciously and alerted their colleagues at the entrance of Le Duc Tho Street. One motorcyclist attempted a dangerous U-turn to flee but was quickly stopped.
When asked to take a breath test, the man refused to comply. After three failed requests, officers issued the maximum penalty for alcohol violations. Police later confirmed they would identify the vehicle owner and rider, summon them, and impose the fine.
While handling violations, police record footage as evidence to ensure transparency, fairness and accountability.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Chien, head of Traffic Police Team 6, additional officers are deployed at night to tackle violations, particularly drunk driving, in addition to daytime inspections.
