On November 12, a representative from the Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security confirmed that many drivers of cars and motorbikes have started masking their plates - by sticking tape over them or bending them out of view - to slip past the new surveillance systems.

Worse still, some have used this trick to commit crimes or flee from police detection.

“This is a deliberate attempt to avoid legal consequences from the traffic police and other authorities,” the official stressed. “It poses a serious risk to social order and public safety.”

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Police stop a driver for covering their license plate. Photo: Dinh Hieu

Current laws already impose steep penalties. Car drivers who are caught face fines of around $940 and lose two points on their driver’s license. Motorbike riders can be fined about $205 and have six license points deducted.

But to send a stronger message, the department is reviewing proposals to make these penalties even stricter. This includes cases where plates are not placed in the proper position, have unclear numbers, are tampered with using other materials or paint, or are altered in shape, size, color, or design from what the law requires.

Authorities are also calling on the public to help. Citizens are encouraged to send photos or videos of license plate violations so that police can take swift action.

Just days earlier, on November 8, the department reported that Hanoi's Road Traffic Police Team No. 7 had penalized a motorbike driver who was seen with a covered plate while riding on Khuat Duy Tien Street. A member of the public captured the incident and sent it to the hotline of Colonel Tran Dinh Nghia, Head of Hanoi’s Traffic Police Division.

Police tracked the driver down and invited him to their station. Based on the evidence, they issued an administrative penalty for the act of “using foreign materials to cover characters on a license plate.”

Dinh Hieu