What are colors of traffic lights in Vietnam? Who has the authority to control traffic lights in Vietnam?
What are colors of traffic lights in Vietnam?
Based on Clause 4, Article 11 of the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety 2024, traffic lights are specified to have 3 colors, which include: green, yellow, and red; with or without time display. Road traffic participants must comply as follows:
[1] Green light signal indicates that you may proceed; in case pedestrians or wheelchairs for persons with disabilities are on the roadway, vehicle operators must reduce speed or stop to yield to pedestrians and wheelchairs of persons with disabilities crossing the road.
[2] Yellow light signal requires stopping before the stop line; if you are already on the stop line or have crossed it when the yellow light appears, you may continue; if the yellow light is flashing, vehicle operators may proceed but must observe, reduce speed, or stop to yield to pedestrians, wheelchairs of persons with disabilities crossing the road or other vehicles.
[3] Red light signal means you must not proceed.
What are colors of traffic lights in Vietnam? Who has the authority to control traffic lights in Vietnam? (Image from the Internet)
Who has the authority to control traffic lights in Vietnam?
Based on Article 9 of Circular 69/2024/TT-BCA regulating the management, operation, and exploitation of road traffic light systems:
Article 9. Management, operation, and exploitation of road traffic light systems
- The road traffic light system must be connected with the Traffic Command Center to meet management, command, direction, and statistical requirements in traffic order and safety assurance.
- In managing and operating the road traffic light system, the Traffic Police is responsible as follows:
a) Advising, proposing, recommending policies on planning, investment plans for building, and developing road traffic light systems suitable to traffic organization and infrastructure; effectively operating and exploiting the devices of the road traffic light system, and researching the application of intelligent traffic control;
b) Deploying forces to monitor and update the situation of traffic order and safety and related information on road traffic routes to promptly adjust the cycle of traffic light signals accordingly; cooperating with forces tasked with ensuring traffic order and safety on the route and area to command, control, and channel traffic when priority vehicles are on the move or congestion, accidents, or traffic incidents are detected, and addressing legal violations on traffic order and safety.
c) Regularly monitoring and inspecting the operational status of the road traffic light system to report, propose, and recommend to competent levels for maintenance, repair, and replacement promptly when damage is detected, ensuring the system operates stably and continuously.
According to Clause 4, Article 5 of Circular 69/2024/TT-BCA stipulating the tasks, powers of traffic police commanding and controlling, and the responsibilities of other forces assigned traffic guidance tasks on roads:
Article 5. Tasks and powers of traffic police commanding, controlling traffic, and responsibilities of other forces assigned traffic guidance tasks on roads
[...]
- Responsibilities of other forces assigned traffic guidance tasks on roads
a) Other police forces assigned the task of ensuring traffic order and safety at intersections, complex traffic points must guide traffic, and channel and route traffic as assigned by traffic command and control police;
b) The investigative police, fire prevention, firefighting, and rescue police upon receiving notification of traffic accidents with criminal signs or incidents related to vehicle fires and explosions must promptly be present at the incident site to resolve according to law and cooperate with traffic command and control police in ensuring traffic order and safety;
c) Other forces outside the police sector assigned traffic guidance tasks on roads must guide and channel traffic at places complex with traffic order and safety; support the work of commanding and controlling road traffic as assigned by traffic command and control police.
According to the regulations above, the entities authorized to control traffic lights include:
- Traffic command and control police forces
- Other forces outside the police sector assigned traffic guidance tasks on roads.
What is the fine for automobiles not complying with traffic lights in 2025 in Vietnam?
Based on point b, clause 9; point b, clause 10; point b, point d, clause 16 of Article 6 of Decree 168/2024/ND-CP regulating fines, point deductions from driver licenses of operators of cars, four-wheeled motorized passenger vehicles, four-wheeled motorized goods vehicles, and similar types of vehicles violating road traffic rules:
Article 6. Penalties, point deductions from licenses of operators of cars, four-wheeled motorized passenger vehicles, four-wheeled motorized goods vehicles, and similar vehicles violating road traffic rules
[...]
- A fine from 18,000,000 VND to 20,000,000 VND for drivers committing any of the following violations:
[...]
b) Not complying with traffic light signals;
[...]
- A fine from 20,000,000 VND to 22,000,000 VND for drivers committing any of the following violations:
[...]
b) Violating regulations at one of the points, clauses of this Article causing traffic accidents: point a, point b, point c, point d, point dd clause 1; point c clause 2; point b, point g, point h, point n, point o, point p, clause 3; point a, point c, point d clause 4; point c, point d, point e, point h, point n, point o, point q clause 5; point b clause 7; point b, point c, point d clause 9 of this Article.
[...]
- In addition to the imposed penalty, the vehicle operator committing violations will also have points deducted from their driver license as follows:
[...]
b) Committing acts prescribed in point h clause 5; clause 6; point b clause 7; point b, point c, point d clause 9 of this Article will result in a 4-point deduction from the driver license;
[...]
d) Committing acts prescribed in point a clause 9, clause 10, point dd clause 11 of this Article will result in a 10-point deduction from the driver license.
Vehicle operators not complying with traffic light signals will be fined from 18,000,000 VND to 20,000,000 VND and have 4 points deducted from their driver license.
In cases where vehicle operators do not comply with traffic light signals causing traffic accidents, they will be fined from 20,000,000 VND to 22,000,000 VND and have 10 points deducted from their driver license.
