A driver working for a passenger bus company in the northern Vietnamese city of Hai Phong believes that having his socks and shoes properly put on is more important than keeping the steering wheel in the right and safe position.

The man, whose name has not been released by his employer, was captured neglecting the hand wheel to focus on wearing his socks and shoes in a video clip that went viral on the Internet earlier this week.

The driver was wearing the uniform of Hoang Long Co., a local firm that offers long-haul bus services.

There were around 40 passengers on board the bus filled with electronic music when the driver performed the shoe-wearing stun, according to the video seen by Tuoi Tre News. 

The driver occasionally used his left hand to adjust the steering wheel whereas his assistant showed no response at the time.

A Hoang Long Co. representative confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Wednesday one of its employees is the man in the viral footage, filmed by one of the passengers who were shocked to witness the negligence of a man whose hands they all put their lives in.

Vu Duc Hoang, deputy director of Hoang Long Co., said the company had been informed of the case and disciplined the driver even before the video was posted on social networks.

Hoang said the driver had been identified as carrying passengers from Hai Phong to the southern coastal city of Vung Tau on June 16, when he was filmed.

He was traveling on a road with a speed limit of 40 kph and did not violate any traffic rules except for the act that threatened the safety of those aboard, Hoang added.

“We knew of the case later the same day thanks to footage from the surveillance camera installed in the bus,” he said.

“We reprimanded the driver by telephone immediately and told him that he would be punished.”

The driver was suspended for 15 days by Hoang Long Co. on June 21, when he returned to Hai Phong, Hoang said.

“We are completing a report on that case to submit to the National Board for Traffic Safety,” he said.

Hoang Long Co. director Vu Van Tuyen was quoted by Dan Viet newswire as saying on Wednesday that the company had also identified the passenger who filmed the footage.

“We will reward this passenger VND5 million [US$230] for exposing the safety rule violation of our driver,” he said. 

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