Vietnamese Authorities Crack Down On Unsafe Tourist Jeeps And UAZ Vehicles

HANOI, July 18 (Bernama-VNA) -- The Vietnamese National Traffic Safety Committee has called on provincial and municipal Traffic Safety Boards to review and strictly handle violations involving Jeep and UAZ vehicles that do not meet safety regulations or legal requirements for passenger transport services.

According to Vietnam News Agency (VNA), in a directive signed on Thursday (July 17), Standing Vice Chairman Le Kim Thanh noted that in several tourist destinations, outdated Jeep and UAZ vehicles have been operating without transport permits, service markings, or proper business registration.

Despite lacking these credentials, many are used to carry paying passengers, raising serious safety concerns.

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To ensure compliance with traffic regulations and protect tourists, the committee requested that Hanoi and Lam Dong, the two localities with growing numbers of such services, direct their Departments of Construction and relevant agencies to inspect and strictly handle these unauthorised operations.

This includes vehicles that have not converted their licence plates for commercial use or obtained mandatory signage.

The committee also called on local Traffic Safety Boards nationwide to strengthen enforcement efforts, raise public awareness of passenger transport regulations, and crack down on vehicles operating without the required conditions, particularly older Jeep and UAZ models, which pose heightened safety risks.

In addition, the Departments of Culture, Sports, and Tourism were asked to review traffic safety practices at tourism service providers offering Jeep tours.

Earlier media reported that in central Hanoi, old military-style vehicles such as UAZ, Gaz69, and Jeeps, which are often modified for sightseeing, are commonly seen transporting foreign tourists.

Many of these vehicles, decades old, carry more passengers than allowed, with temporary seats and unsafe structural modifications, posing serious dangers as they navigate crowded urban streets. 

-- BERNAMA-VNA