Road safety is improving in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) according to the latest official figures. The HCMC police have revealed that there were 779 crashes in the city in the first six months of 2023. The incidence of serious crashes fell by 40% according to the HCMC police, with 294 fatalities, a reduction of 36 deaths from the same period in the previous year. Injuries dropped by 198 to 470 for the same period.
The fact that road safety has improved in HCMC is of note. Vietnam has introduced tougher penalties for driving infractions in recent years, as well as increasing enforcement. Vietnam has managed to improve road safety significantly, a major gain over its neighbours in Asia that are still seeing road crashes and road deaths increase. Tougher enforcement to address speeding, combat DUI and require powered two wheeler riders to use helmets have been three of the simple but effective measures used.
