I. Legal basis

• Decree No. 238/2026/ND-CP
• Decree No. 168/2024/ND-CP

II. New traffic penalty regulations from 15 August 2026

1. White-plated cars carrying passengers: VND 14 million fine

A person driving a car that is not registered for passenger transport business but carries passengers for a fee, accepts passenger bookings, or enters into contracts for passenger transport shall be subject to a fine ranging from VND 12 million to VND 14 million and have 6 points deducted from their driving licence.

This provision aims to penalize cases where individuals use private cars to carry passengers for a fee without registering and operating in accordance with regulations on passenger transport business.

2. Transporting children without the required safety equipment is subject only to a warning

For cars carrying children under 10 years of age and less than 1.35 metres in height, a driver who fails to use an appropriate child restraint system shall be subject to a warning.

This new provision replaces the previous fine ranging from VND 800,000 to VND 1 million and does not apply to cars used for passenger transport business.

Meanwhile, where a child in the above-mentioned group is seated in the same row as the driver, a fine ranging from VND 800,000 to VND 1 million shall still apply. The exception is for cars equipped with only one row of seats.

3. Obscuring the license plate on camera: fine of up to VND 26 million

The new Decree adds acts of interfering with professional technical equipment or cameras in a manner that makes information on license plates difficult or impossible to identify to the group of violations concerning license plates.

Notably, a license plate may remain clearly visible to the naked eye; however, if the use of materials, coatings, or devices makes the license plate difficult or impossible for cameras to identify, the violation may still be subject to penalties.

Accordingly, a person driving a car who commits such a violation may be subject to a fine ranging from VND 20 million to VND 26 million and have 6 points deducted from their driving licence; a person driving a motorcycle may be subject to a fine ranging from VND 4 million to VND 6 million.

The same penalties also apply to acts such as failing to affix all required license plates, affixing license plates in an incorrect position or in a non-prescribed manner, allowing license plates to become blurred or obscured, bending license plates, or altering their letters, numbers, colors, shape, or dimensions.

4. Contract vehicles carrying passengers not on the passenger list are subject to penalties

For passenger transport vehicles operating under transport contracts, the driver shall be subject to a fine ranging from VND 1 million to VND 2 million for failing to have a transport contract, failing to carry a passenger list, or picking up or transporting passengers whose names are not included in the passenger list.

The new regulations also clarify violations concerning contract-based passenger transport vehicles, including operating without a transport contract, failing to carry a passenger list, or transporting passengers in a manner inconsistent with the terms of the transport contract.

5. Transporting materials that spill: fine of up to VND 4 million

A person operating a vehicle transporting construction materials, soil, rocks, waste, or bulk cargo who fails to properly cover such materials, allows them to spill onto the road, or allows water to flow onto the road shall be subject to a fine ranging from VND 2 million to VND 4 million.

Compared with the previous regulations, Decree No. 238 supplements and clarifies the categories of materials subject to penalties, including construction materials and sludge.

The new regulations also specify that allowing water to flow onto the road constitutes a punishable violation, without requiring consideration of whether such conduct causes a risk to traffic safety.

6. Changing lanes without maintaining a safe distance may result in a fine of VND 4–6 million

For cars, a violation committed on an ordinary road is subject to a fine ranging from VND 600,000 to VND 800,000. If the violation is committed on an expressway, the fine ranges from VND 4 million to VND 6 million, together with a deduction of 2 points from the driving licence.

Accordingly, activating the turn signal alone is not sufficient to ensure that a lane change complies with regulations. The driver must also observe the surrounding traffic, select a safe gap, and avoid changing lanes too closely to other vehicles, which may require them to take sudden evasive action.

7. Cars not registered for passenger transport business but carrying passengers for a fee: fine ranging from VND 12 million to VND 14 million

Decree No. 238/2026/ND-CP also introduces a fine ranging from VND 12 million to VND 14 million for a person driving a car that is not registered for passenger transport business but carries passengers for a fee, enters into a contract, or accepts bookings for passenger transport (Clause 8a, Article 20). In addition, the violator shall have 6 points deducted from their driving licence.

8. Not registered for goods transport business but carrying goods for a fee: fine ranging from VND 8 million to VND 12 million

Another notable addition under Decree No. 238/2026/ND-CP concerns the act of driving a car that is not registered for goods transport business but carrying goods for a fee. Accordingly, a person committing this violation shall be subject to a fine ranging from VND 8 million to VND 12 million (Clause 8, Article 21).

Unlike the violation involving carrying passengers for a fee, the new provision under Clause 8, Article 21 does not fall within the group of violations subject to deduction of driving licence points. Decree No. 238/2026/ND-CP nevertheless introduces liability for the vehicle owner where the owner assigns the vehicle to an employee or representative who then operates the vehicle and commits the violation.

III. About Us, Hankuk Law Firm

■ Hankuk Law Firm – Introduction

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