When did Decree 168/2024/ND-CP take effect?

Decree 168/2024/ND-CP took effect on 1 January 2025. Most provisions became enforceable that day, but specified provisions in Articles 6, 26 and 27 took effect on 1 January 2026.

Which provisions of Decree 168 only became enforceable on 1 January 2026?

Specified provisions in Articles 6, 26 and 27 of Decree 168 took effect on 1 January 2026. One of those provisions concerns child safety in cars.

What is the fine for drink-driving in a car under Decree 168?

For a car driver with an alcohol concentration above 50 mg to 80 mg per 100 ml of blood, or above 0.25 mg to 0.4 mg per litre of breath, the fine is VND 18,000,000 to VND 20,000,000 and ten driving-licence points are deducted.

Does Decree 168 fully replace Decree 100/2019/ND-CP?

Not by itself: Article 52 of Decree 168 amended Decree 100/2019/ND-CP and repealed its road-traffic penalty provisions from 1 January 2025. Decree 100 was then repealed in full by Decree 81/2026/ND-CP, which took effect on 15 May 2026 (Article 48(2)).

Do foreign drivers in Vietnam face the same traffic penalties under Decree 168?

Yes: Article 2(1) of Decree 168 applies it to Vietnamese and foreign individuals and organisations that commit a road-traffic violation in Vietnam. Its fines and point deductions are set per violation, not by nationality. Provisions that deal specifically with foreign elements include those on vehicles with foreign number plates (Article 37) and on international driving permits issued under the 1968 Convention that are not accompanied by the national licence (Article 18).

Vietnam Traffic Penalties and Driving-Licence Points Under Decree 168/2024/ND-CP

Short answer: Decree 168/2024/ND-CP took effect on 1 January 2025 and introduced driving-licence point deductions and restoration for road-traffic violations. Most provisions started on that date; three specified provisions in Articles 6, 26 and 27, including child safety in cars, took effect only on 1 January 2026. The reviewed material confirms one fine: a car driver with a blood alcohol level above 50 and up to 80 mg per 100 ml faces VND 18–20 million and ten licence points deducted. Decree 168 took over the road-traffic penalty rules of Decree 100/2019/ND-CP (Article 52), and Decree 100 was repealed altogether from 15 May 2026. Since 15 August 2026, Decree 238/2026/ND-CP has also amended parts of Decree 168.

Decree 168 took effect on 1 January 2025

Short answer: Decree 168/2024/ND-CP took effect on 1 January 2025 and, as amended by Decree 238/2026/ND-CP from 15 August 2026, is the current regulation for administrative penalties and driving-licence point deductions in road traffic. The reviewed official material describes its scope as administrative penalties, remedial measures, enforcement authority, specific fines and driving-licence point deductions for road-traffic violations. That means an expat who drives a car or rides a motorbike in Vietnam is subject to this framework from that date: Article 2(1) applies the decree to foreign individuals and organisations that commit a road-traffic violation in Vietnam, and Article 52 repealed the road-traffic penalty provisions of the older Decree 100/2019/ND-CP. The decree covers road-traffic order and safety violations, and the point system is part of the same instrument. For practical context on transport in Vietnam, see Getting Around Vietnam as an Expat: Scooter vs Grab vs Your Own Two Feet. The transitional rule in Article 54 is the same for everyone: a violation committed and finished before 1 January 2025 is penalised under the rules in force when it happened, and a violation that is still continuing is penalised under the rules in force when it is detected.

Three provisions waited until 1 January 2026

Short answer: most of Decree 168 started on 1 January 2025, but three specified provisions did not. Article 53(2) of the decree, as enacted, provides that specified provisions in Articles 6, 26 and 27 took effect on 1 January 2026. Among those, the confirmed example is provisions related to child safety in cars. That means the decree's child-safety penalties did not apply from the decree's first day. For cars the start came later still: the child-safety duty in the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety (Article 10(3)) was itself postponed to 1 July 2026, and since 15 August 2026 Decree 238/2026/ND-CP has reduced the penalty for a missing child-safety device to a warning (see the Decree 238 guide). Separately, a provision concerning motorcycle and moped emissions inspections takes effect under environmental-protection inspection rules, and the reviewed material does not give a calendar date for that condition. This staggered start matters for anyone relying on a single 'effective 1 January 2025' summary: it is true for most provisions, but not all. Decree 238/2026/ND-CP later added two further deferred start dates, both for camera-equipment rules for transport vehicles: 1 January 2028 and 1 January 2029 (Article 18 of Decree 238).

Driving-licence points: 12 points, deduction and restoration

Short answer: Decree 168 introduces driving-licence point deductions and restoration, and a licence carries 12 points (Law 36/2024/QH15, Article 58), with deductions of 2 to 10 points per violation. The one confirmed point deduction is for a car driver with a blood alcohol level above 50 and up to 80 mg per 100 ml, who has ten points deducted. Points come back in two ways: if the licence has not lost all its points and gets no new deduction for 12 months, it is restored automatically to 12 points (Decree 168, Article 51(2)); if all points are lost, the holder may not drive on that licence, must wait at least six months, and can then pass the traffic-police knowledge test to get 12 points back (Article 51(3); Law 36/2024/QH15, Article 58(3)). Not every violation deducts points, so an expat should not rely on a summary from memory about 'all traffic fines now deduct points.' The point system is real and is part of the same decree as the fines, but this guide covers only the drink-driving example in detail. This is separate from housing rules; for another legal area an expat renter may meet, see Vietnam Residential Rental Law, but the two frameworks are distinct.

The only verified fine is for drink-driving in a car

Short answer: the only specific fine confirmed in the reviewed material is for drink-driving in a car. A car driver with an alcohol concentration above 50 mg to 80 mg per 100 ml of blood, or above 0.25 mg to 0.4 mg per litre of breath, faces a fine of VND 18,000,000 to VND 20,000,000 and ten driving-licence points deducted. That is a substantial penalty, and the point deduction is recorded in the same provision. The reviewed material does not confirm equivalent fines for motorbike riders, pedestrians, or other violations, so an expat should treat any other specific number as unverified unless it comes from the decree text. The threshold is narrow: it applies above the lower alcohol limit and up to the stated upper bound. Decree 168 has no separate fine schedule for foreign drivers: Article 2(1) applies the same rules to them.

How Decree 168 relates to Decree 100/2019

Short answer: Decree 168/2024/ND-CP did not repeal Decree 100/2019/ND-CP in one stroke; it amended it and took over its road-traffic penalty rules. Decree 168 was issued on 26 December 2024. Its Article 52 adds a clause to Decree 100 saying that fines, remedial measures and penalty authority for road-traffic order and safety violations are governed by the new road-traffic decree, and repeals the road-traffic penalty articles and points of Decree 100 one by one (Articles 5 to 11 and 16 to 22, for example, in full). Later decrees took over the rest, and Decree 81/2026/ND-CP on railway penalties repealed Decree 100 in full from 15 May 2026 (Article 48(2)). So Decree 100 no longer applies to new violations, but it can still matter for old ones: under Article 54 of Decree 168, a violation committed and finished before 1 January 2025 is judged under the rules in force at the time.

Moped emissions checks start under environmental rules

Short answer: a provision in Decree 168 concerning motorcycle and moped emissions inspections does not start on the decree's main effective date of 1 January 2025. According to Article 53 of the decree, most provisions took effect on 1 January 2025, but specified provisions in Articles 6, 26 and 27 took effect on 1 January 2026. Separately, the provision on motorcycle and moped emissions inspections takes effect under environmental-protection inspection rules, not under the decree's own timetable. The reviewed material does not give a specific date for that emissions rule, so a rider cannot assume when the inspection requirement becomes enforceable. Check the environmental inspection regulation for the start date.

Frequently asked questions

When did Decree 168/2024/ND-CP take effect?: Decree 168/2024/ND-CP took effect on 1 January 2025. Most provisions became enforceable that day, but specified provisions in Articles 6, 26 and 27 took effect on 1 January 2026.
Which provisions of Decree 168 only became enforceable on 1 January 2026?: Specified provisions in Articles 6, 26 and 27 of Decree 168 took effect on 1 January 2026. One of those provisions concerns child safety in cars.
What is the fine for drink-driving in a car under Decree 168?: For a car driver with an alcohol concentration above 50 mg to 80 mg per 100 ml of blood, or above 0.25 mg to 0.4 mg per litre of breath, the fine is VND 18,000,000 to VND 20,000,000 and ten driving-licence points are deducted.
Does Decree 168 fully replace Decree 100/2019/ND-CP?: Not by itself: Article 52 of Decree 168 amended Decree 100/2019/ND-CP and repealed its road-traffic penalty provisions from 1 January 2025. Decree 100 was then repealed in full by Decree 81/2026/ND-CP, which took effect on 15 May 2026 (Article 48(2)).
How are driving-licence points restored under Decree 168?: A licence that has not lost all its points and gets no new deduction for 12 months is restored automatically to 12 points (Decree 168, Article 51(2)). If all points are lost, the holder may not drive on that licence, must wait at least six months, and can then pass the traffic-police knowledge test to get 12 points back (Article 51(3); Law 36/2024/QH15, Article 58(3)).
Do foreign drivers in Vietnam face the same traffic penalties under Decree 168?: Yes: Article 2(1) of Decree 168 applies it to Vietnamese and foreign individuals and organisations that commit a road-traffic violation in Vietnam. Its fines and point deductions are set per violation, not by nationality. Provisions that deal specifically with foreign elements include those on vehicles with foreign number plates (Article 37) and on international driving permits issued under the 1968 Convention that are not accompanied by the national licence (Article 18).

Updated: 2026-10-13