Haiphong traffic police said on October 27 that a man of Kien An Ward had been penalised for using a private car not registered for passenger transport services to carry passengers for payment.
The penalty followed an October 23 Dantri/DTiNews investigation exposing unlicensed taxi operations at the airport, where drivers used private vehicles with white registration plates to pick up passengers and charge fares.
During the investigation, reporters documented the driver approaching passengers at Cat Bi International Airport in Hai An Ward, negotiating fares and driving them to their requested destinations in a car bearing registration number 15K-158.xx.
After receiving the report and photographic evidence from Dantri/DTiNews, Traffic Police Team No. 3 summoned the driver for questioning.
Police said the man admitted to the violation, which occurred at 9.44 am on October 14.
On October 24, officers recorded the administrative offence and imposed a VND 13 million fine under Clause 3, Article 7 of Decree 238/2026/ND-CP.
Dantri/DTiNews reporters had repeatedly posed as passengers to investigate unlicensed taxi services at the airport.
In one case, a driver approached a reporter outside the terminal and offered a fare matching that shown on a ride-hailing app.
For a journey of approximately 3.6 kilometres, the app quoted VND 70,000. The driver agreed to the price and said he would use a privately registered Mazda 3.
However, he arrived in a Kia vehicle bearing Hanoi registration plates.
In another case, a driver operating a privately registered Toyota Vios initially quoted VND 100,000 for a 4.4-kilometre journey, including the airport exit fee. The fare was later negotiated down to VND 90,000.
Reporters also observed drivers of licensed taxis with yellow registration plates entering the terminal to approach and solicit passengers.
A representative of Cat Bi International Airport said Lane 1, immediately outside the terminal, was reserved for privately registered vehicles with fewer than 16 seats.
These vehicles may pick up and drop off passengers but cannot stop for more than three minutes.
Commercial passenger vehicles with yellow registration plates are prohibited from using the lane.
Licensed taxis must park in designated areas outside the terminal, and drivers are not permitted to leave their vehicles to solicit passengers inside.
For pre-booked journeys, drivers must contact passengers by telephone and direct them to the designated pick-up area.
Private cars illegally carrying paying passengers were difficult to identify because they resembled ordinary family vehicles and were allowed into the pick-up and drop-off area.
According to Tran Tuan Anh of Minh Bach Law Firm, drivers carrying paying passengers in unregistered commercial vehicles face fines of VND 12-14 million and a six-point licence deduction under Decree 238/2026/ND-CP.
Haiphong traffic police said they were continuing to collect evidence and identify another driver featured in Dantri's investigation.
The driver would be summoned for questioning and penalised if sufficient evidence of a violation was established.
The city's traffic police department announced that it would work with Cat Bi International Airport to tighten oversight of traffic and passenger transport operations at the airport.
