Traffic accidents claimed 118 lives and injured 197 people in Vietnam during the five festive days of the Lunar New Year, starting Thursday last week.

A total of 192 traffic crashes happened from January 26 to 30, killing 118 people and wounding 197 others throughout the Southeast Asian nation, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Committee for Traffic Safety Truong Hoa Binh stated in a document.

Compared to the same period of last year, the death toll decreased by four percent, while the number of injured victims increased by four percent.

Many serious accidents occurred in the first three days of the Year of the Rooster, from January 28 to 30, including a tragedy involving a passenger bus that killed two and injured 27 people in the northern province of Quang Ninh on Monday.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health also showed a sharp rise in the number of cases of driving under the influence during the holidays.

Deputy PM Binh extended his condolences to the families of the deceased and sent his best wishes for the well-being of the injured.

The deputy premier called on competent agencies to continue their efforts in ensuring traffic safety in the coming days as an influx of people will return to major cities to resume work following the Lunar New Year celebration, posing high risk of accidents and congestion.

Traffic police have been ordered to carry out regular patrols to promptly deal with traffic jams and rule-breaking behaviors.

Inspection should be conducted on the quality of passenger transport, the high-ranking official added.

Local authorities should encourage people to strictly comply with traffic regulations to protect their lives and ensure the safety of others, he underlined.

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