A Hanoian man was fined VND7 million (US$300) and had his driver’s license revoked for nearly two years after police stopped him for driving his motorcycle under the influence of alcohol, penalties which have been actively enforced since the country’s new law on drunk driving came into effect on January 1.

The motorcyclist was pulled over at a checkpoint set up by Senior Lieutenant Ngo Van Tam’s traffic police unit on Thursday to catch drunk drivers at the intersection of Hang Cot and Phan Dinh Phung Streets.

According to the new law, drivers must be completely sober while opperating bicycles, motorbikes, automobiles, and any other vehicles on Vietnam’s roads.

Cyclists who ride under the influence of alcohol will be fined up to VND600,000 ($25) while motorcyclists and car drivers face fines of up to VND8 million ($86-345) and up to VND40 million ($1,724), respectively, as well as license revocation for 22-24 months.

The specific amount of the fine depends on the violators’ blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

Senior Lieutenant Tan and his team on Thursday pulled over Nguyen Van D., a resident of Gia Lam District, Hanoi, and measured his BAC at 0.489mg/l using a breathalyzer, forcing them to hand down a VND7 million fine and revoke his license for 23 months.

D. claimed to have had two drinks that day.

Aside from D., four other motorcyclists were fined on Thursday by the traffic police unit for similar violations.

Along the Phap Van-Ninh Binh Expressway, which connects the capital with Ninh Binh Province, another team of officers pulled over an automobile and discovered that the driver’s BAC was 0.719 mg/l.

The offender was given a VND35 million ($1,509) and a 23-month license revocation.

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