Is it permissible to honk in residential areas in Vietnam? What are the fines for honking in residential areas in Vietnam?

Is it permissible to honk in residential areas in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Clause 12, Article 8 of the Law on Road Traffic in 2008 stipulating prohibited acts as follows:

1. Destroying roads, road bridges, tunnels and ferry landing stages, light signals, marker posts, signs, dome mirrors, median strips, water drainage systems and other works and equipment of road traffic infrastructure.

2. Illegally digging, drilling and cutting roads; illegally placing or erecting hurdles on roads; placing and spreading pointed objects, pouring lubricants on roads; illegally leaving materials, wastes and garbage on roads; illegally opening passages and linking to main roads; illegally encroaching, occupying or using land of roads and road safety corridors; opening manhole covers without permission, illegally dismantling, removing or falsifying road works.

3. Illegally using roadbeds, roadsides and pavements.

4. Putting motor vehicles and special-use machines which fail to satisfy technical safety and environmental protection criteria into operation on roads.

5. Changing the chassis, components and accessories of motor vehicles in order to temporarily achieve their technical criteria before taking them for inspection.

6. Taking part in, cheering or organizing illegal vehicle races, driving vehicles recklessly on crowded streets or in zigzags.

7. Operating a road motor vehicle while there is narcotic in the operator’s body.

8. Operating an automobile, tractor or special-use vehicle on the road while there is a concentration of alcohol in the operator’s blood or breath.

Operating a motorcycle or moped while there is a concentration of alcohol of over 50 milligrams per 100 milliliters of blood or 0.25 milligrams per 1 litter of breathed air.

9. Operating a motor vehicle without a driver license as prescribed.

Operating a special-use vehicle on the road without a certificate of training in knowledge about the road traffic law, a license or certificate of operation of special-use vehicle.

10. Assigning one’s motor vehicle or special-use vehicle to another person ineligible for operating vehicles in road traffic.

11. Operating a motor vehicle at a speed beyond the prescribed speed limit, recklessly passing or overtaking.

12. Honking and opening the throttle continuously; honking during the time from 22:00 to 05:00, blowing the hoot, using high beams in urban and residential areas, except for priority vehicles moving on duty as provided for by this Law.

13. Fitting and using the horn and lamps at variance with the manufacturer design for each type of motor vehicles; using audible devices badly affecting traffic order and safety and public order.

14. Transporting goods banned from circulation, illegally transporting, or failing to fully observe regulations on transportation of, dangerous cargoes or wild animals.

15. Threatening, offending and fighting over passengers; compelling passengers to use services against their will; employing transshipment, disembarking passengers or committing other acts to evade detection of the carriage of cargoes or passengers in excess of prescribed limits.

16. Conducting commercial transportation by car when failing to meet all business conditions as prescribed.

17. Absconding after causing accidents in order to shirk responsibility.

18. Deliberately refusing to rescue victims of traffic accidents when having conditions to do so.

19. Infringing upon the lives, health and property of traffic accident victims and causers.

20. Taking advantage of traffic accidents to assault, intimidate, incite, pressure, foment disorder or obstruct the handling of traffic accidents.

21. Abusing one’s position, power or profession to breach the road traffic law.

22. Illegally manufacturing, using or buying or selling number plates of motor vehicles and special-use vehicles.

23. Acts of breaching road traffic rules and other acts endangering road users and vehicles in road traffic.

As regulations above, honking continuously in residential areas during the time from 22:00 to 05:00 is an illegal act. In your case, you have to honk for your own safety so it is not against the Law.

What are the fines for honking in populous areas in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Point n, Clause 1, Article 6 of the Decree 100/2019/NĐ-CP stipulating the fine ranging from VND 100,000 to VND 200,000 upon a vehicle operator who commits any of the following violations:

a) Failure to comply with road signs and road markings, except for violations specified in Points c, dd, e and h Clause 2; Points d, g, i and m Clause 3; Points a, b, c, d and e Clause 4; Clause 5; Point b Clause 6; Points a and b Clause 7; Point d Clause 8 of this Article;

b) No signaling before overtaking;

c) Failure to keep a safe distance that leads to a collision with the vehicle ahead; failure to keep a safe distance in accordance with the sign “Cự ly tối thiểu giữa hai xe” (Safe distance);

d) Turning without yielding to the pedestrians and wheelchairs of the disabled that cross the street at crosswalks or non-motorized vehicles running in the cycle lane;

dd) Turning without yielding to oncoming vehicles, the pedestrians and wheelchairs of the disabled that cross the street at other positions than crosswalks;

e) Reversing motor tricycles without observation or signaling;

g) Carrying a passenger who uses an umbrella;

h) Failure to comply with regulations on yielding at intersections, except for the violations specified in Points b and e Clause 2 of this Article;

i) Changing lanes where prohibited or without signaling;

k) Going three abreast or more;

l) Failure to turn on the lights from 7pm to 5am or in a foggy or bad weather when visibility is short;

m) Dodging oncoming vehicles improperly; using high beams while avoiding oncoming traffic; failure to yield to oncoming vehicles where the road is narrow, sloping, or obstructed;

n) Honking from 22:00 to 5:00, using the high beam in rural areas or residential areas, except for emergency vehicles on duty;

o) Operating an emergency vehicle without conformable warning devices or using warning devices without a license issued by a competent authority or without an unexpired one;

p) Making a u-turn in places where making a u-turn is prohibited, except for violation(s) specified in Point d Clause 4 of this Article;

q) Operating the vehicle at a lower speed than the lowest permissible speed.

As regulations above, honking from 22:00 to 5:00, using the high beam in rural areas or residential areas shall be fined from VND 100,000 to VND 200,000

Best regards!