The Government has also introduced new child car safety requirements and a phased roll out of onboard camera systems for commercial transport vehicles.
From July 1, 2026, Decree No. 241/2026/ND-CP, which amends and supplements several provisions of Government Decree No. 165/2024/ND-CP detailing and guiding the implementation of certain articles of the Road Law and Article 77 of the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety, officially takes effect.
Under the new regulations, pickup trucks with a gross vehicle weight of less than 3.5 tons will be subject to the same traffic management rules as passenger cars, resolving longstanding issues related to restricted hours and prohibited roads in urban areas.
Lawyer Tran Minh Hung of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association said the amendment is the result of a review of shortcomings in traffic management regulations for pickup trucks. Earlier, in early June 2026, the Vietnam Register had proposed that the Ministry of Construction report to the Government on adjusting the regulations to facilitate the operation of these vehicles.
According to lawyer Tran Minh Hung, the most significant change is that pickup trucks covered by the regulation will now be managed in the same manner as passenger cars. As a result, they will no longer be subject to traffic diversion measures, restricted operating hours, or road bans that apply to trucks on many routes.
On June 30, Colonel Nguyen Quang Nhat, head of the Office for Traffic Safety Communication, Investigation and Accident Settlement under the Traffic Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security, said the Government had issued Decree No. 238/2026/ND-CP amending and supplementing several provisions of Decree No. 168/2024/ND-CP on administrative penalties for violations of road traffic order and safety, as well as the deduction and restoration of driver's license points.
The decree introduces new regulations on child safety devices in cars and a road map for installing image-recording devices on commercial transport vehicles.
From August 15, drivers transporting children under 10 years old and shorter than 1.35 meters without using appropriate child safety devices will receive a warning. This requirement does not apply to passenger transport vehicles which as used or intended to be used in providing a passenger transport service such as taxis, ride-hailing cars, minivans, 16-to-45-seat coaches, and transit buses.
The decree also prohibits seating children under 10 years old and shorter than 1.35 meters in the same row as the driver, except in vehicles equipped with only a single row of seats.
