Drunk driver found transporting students, parents on Hanoi trip

The driver, 56, was taking 16 students and their parents from the northern highlands province of Ha Giang on a field trip around Hanoi when traffic police officers stationed in the Hoan Kiem District stopped the vehicle at around 10:45 p.m.

A breathalyzer test revealed that the driver had 0.153 mg of alcohol per liter of breath at the time. He was fined VND7 million ($295.17), had his license revoked for 11 months and his 16-seat bus seized for seven days. The students and their parents were returned to their residences in Hanoi by the authorities.

Over the past two months, Hanoi traffic police have found 10,000 cases of alcohol violations on the road. VND57 billion worth of fines have been charged, and over 10,000 vehicles have been seized as a result.

Any level of alcohol present in the system while driving is illegal in Vietnam. Car drivers with an alcohol level of up to 50 mg per 100 ml of blood, or 0.25 mg per liter of breath, can be fined up to VND8 million and have their licenses revoked for as long as 12 months.