Inspectors at three vehicle registration and inspection centers in Ho Chi Minh City have been found receiving bribes of up to US$250 from vehicle owners in exchange for looking over their technical violations, a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper investigation has revealed. Such violations include making changes to vehicle frames to carry more goods, bad brakes, out-of-order gauges, excessive exhaust gas and more. On June 15, Tuoi Tre correspondents got on a sleeper bus to the 50-01S Vehicle Registration and Inspection Center in Binh Tan District. When the bus arrived at the entrance to the center, a man named Phuoc appeared and guided the bus driver to park in the yard and wait to carry out vehicle registration and inspection procedures. Phuoc acted as a broker between inspectors at the center and vehicle owners, many drivers told Tuoi Tre, adding that he could arrange for the vehicle owners to have serious technical violations skipped over by the inspectors through bribery. The broker then received the bus registration certificate and other papers from the driver and then talked about the actual issues of the vehicle that needed to be overlooked by the inspectors.

Phuoc, a broker between inspectors and drivers, receives money from a driver. Photo: Tuoi Tre

During the registration and inspection process, Phuoc talked privately with an inspector many times. The vehicle finally passed the inspection, even though changes had been made to it to increase its load capacity, and its actual weight was one ton more than designed. Phuoc then asked the bus driver to pay VND5.5 million ($252) but the latter refused, saying the previous agreed price was VND4.5 million ($207). He explained to the driver that an additional amount of VND1 million ($45.8) was for the deputy head of the center, as the official appeared during the inspection process and noticed that the bus structure had been changed. After further arguing, the driver finally had to pay VND5.5 million to Phuoc. On June 19, the Tuoi Tre reporters witnessed a bargain between an inspector named Linh and a truck driver at the 50-03V Vehicle Registration and Inspection Center in Thu Duc District. At 11:05 am, Linh opened the cabin door of the truck and took out a pack of cigarettes containing VND500,000 ($23) the driver had put in it. After finding the amount, Linh told the driver to pay him VND500,000 more. “Can you give me a reduction?” the driver asked and Linh replied, “So is VND800,000 [$37] okay?”

An inspector at the 50-05V Vehicle Registration and Inspection Center in District 12 takes a bribe from the cabin of a truck. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The driver asked for a further reduction and Linh said, “VND700,000 is also okay. Give it to me now.”

The driver then handed Linh two VND200,000 banknotes and Linh said, “Ring me in advance when you come next time.” After the payment, no inspectors inspected the truck, but a certificate on technical safety and environmental protection was later granted to the driver. The certificate was signed by the deputy head of the center, Trinh Ly An. On June 20, a driver told the Tuoi Tre reporters at the same center that he paid Linh VND1 million every six months for such certification. At 4:22 pm on July 2, Linh asked the driver of a truck to pay him VND1.5 million after detecting that the vehicle had been modified. After the driver asked for a rebate, Linh agreed to the price of VND1 million, but said the “fee” must be VND2 million ($91.7) next time. Meanwhile, the bribery at the 50-05V Vehicle Registration and Inspection Center in District 12 took place in a discreet manner, as most drivers inserted several VND100,000 or VND200,000 bills into easy-to-find places in their cabin near the steering wheel. On the morning of July 2, the Tuoi Tre reporters saw a driver put six VND100,000 banknotes near the handlebars, and an inspector later opened the cabin door and took them.

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