Vietnam expands vehicle inspection standards, adds serious defect criteria

The Vietnamese Vehicle Registration Department (Cục Đăng kiểm) has issued a draft national technical standard that broadens the list of serious defects that can cause a vehicle to fail road‑worthiness testing. New criteria include improper placement of licence plates, missing windshield wipers, lack of emergency glass‑breaking tools, inadequate lighting, and various equipment failures. Vehicles found with these issues must be repaired before a re‑inspection can be passed.

Following the capsizing of a newly built passenger catamaran off Phú Quốc that killed 15 people, officials clarified that the vessel was constructed to the approved closed‑deck design required for stability and complied with both Vietnamese and international technical standards. The accident was attributed mainly to an abrupt, severe storm rather than any design flaw. Authorities are stepping up post‑inspection checks of water‑borne transport and accelerating revisions to the Maritime Law to strengthen the legal framework for maritime safety.