Vietnam persists with controversial zero-tolerance policy against drunk driving

Vietnam’s National Assembly passed the Law on Road Traffic Safety and Order with 79.84% of the votes Thursday, continuing a zero-tolerance policy against drunk driving that has generated some controversy.

The Standing Committee of the nation’s highest legislative body had clarified prior to the vote that the policy was a continuation of rules in the Law on Road Traffic 2008 and Law on Prevention of Adverse Impacts of Beer and Wine.

Le Tan Toi, head of the National Assembly’s committee for defense and security, said lawmakers had been consulted on the policy before the vote, with two options for the ban - an absolute zero alcohol concentration or a figure higher than zero. A majority of lawmakers opted for zero tolerance, he added.

Regarding concerns over natural alcohol concentration in the human body, the newly approved law stipulates that the Ministry of Health will set out detailed conditions to determine actual alcohol consumption by drivers, Toi said.

The new law will take effect on January 1, 2025.

The launch of an unprecedentedly strict campaign against driving under the influence (DUI) in 2020 had proved controversial, with liquor sales as well as brewers’ revenues plunging steeply as patrons sayed away from resturants, bars and other liquor serving establishments.

Sabeco, once the biggest brewer in Vietnam, reported that its 2023 consolidated net profit shrank 21.2% year-on-year to VND4.12 trillion ($168.6 million); while revenue fell 13% to VND30.46 trillion. It was only able to meet 74% and 76% of the year’s profit and revenue targets, respectively, Sabeco said.

Like its competitor Sabeco, Habeco blamed stiff competition and weaker consumer demand as a result of the intensified crackdown on DUI in the final months of 2023 for the fall in revenue.

Heineken Vietnam Brewery Limited Company, or Heineken Vietnam, suspended operations of its factory in the central province of Quang Nam on June 12, citing multiple challenges in the local market, including the enforcement of Decree 100, which stipulates zero-alcohol tolerance whilst driving.