Vietnam’s law-making National Assembly (NA) on Thursday approved the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety, imposing an absolute ban on drivers with any level of blood or breath alcohol content.

Up to 388 out of 450 NA deputies voted in favor of the law, which will take effect from January 1, 2025.

The law stipulates that drivers must be completely sober, without consuming any amount of alcoholic drinks, while operating vehicles on the road.

As per the newly passed law, the Ministry of Health has been assigned the responsibility of setting the health requirements for drivers and establishing regulations for determining blood or breath alcohol levels, as well as endogenous ethanol levels in the blood.

Endogenous ethanol concentration can be present in the blood of people with specific metabolic conditions, such as diabetes, hepatitis, and cirrhosis.

Before the legislature gave its final approval to the law, NA deputies engaged in an extensive debate and a separate vote on the zero blood and breath alcohol provision.

More than 73 percent of the lawmakers, or 357 out of 448, supported the total ban on driving under the influence of alcohol. Meanwhile, 69 lawmakers voted against the provision, and 22 abstained.

Le Tan Toi, chairman of the NA Committee for National Defense and Security, said that a large number of NA deputies advocated the zero-tolerance approach, while some others suggested a blood or breath alcohol limit for drivers.

According to the NA Standing Committee, the ban on driving under the influence of alcohol has been implemented for years and is on par with the 2008 Road Traffic Law and the 2019 Law on prevention and control of alcohol-related harms.

Relaxing the ban could result in an increased risk of traffic violations and accidents, the NA Standing Committee said.

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