Vietnam Traffic Police suspend minimum speed penalties on highway inclines

The Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security has announced a suspension of speed measurements and penalties for vehicles traveling below the minimum speed limit on highway inclines. This suspension, effective from October 1, 2026, will remain in place until further notice to allow for a comprehensive safety assessment.

The decision follows reports from drivers of heavy trucks and tractor-trailers struggling to maintain the minimum required speed of 60 km/h on steep sections of several expressways. Specific locations identified include Km83+000 on the Phan Thiet - Dau Giay expressway, Km178 on the Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet expressway, and Km340+800 on the Nha Trang - Van Phong expressway.

While the suspension addresses driver difficulties, authorities warned that slow-moving heavy vehicles pose significant accident risks, particularly at night, due to the large speed differential between trucks and passenger cars. To mitigate these risks, police have requested road management units to install warning signs and lights at accident-prone areas and to document these locations as “black spots.”

An experiment conducted in late September with 28 vehicles, including various trucks and liquid tankers, indicated that while vehicles can technically reach the minimum speed, performance depends heavily on vehicle age, fuel consumption, driver familiarity with the route, and momentum management.