“The Concern Over Vehicle Inspection Center Closures: A Plea to Retain the Professional Certification of Vehicle Inspectors with Suspended Sentences”

On the morning of August 9, the leader of the Vietnam Registry provided an assessment of the motor vehicle inspection situation over the past time and predicted the trend for the remaining months of 2024.

According to the Vietnam Registry, there are currently 275 out of 295 vehicle inspection centers operating with 448 out of 547 inspection lines nationwide. Inspection activities at these centers have returned to normal, meeting the inspection needs of the people and businesses.

However, the Vietnam Registry forecasts that in the coming time, when the prosecution agencies conclude the trials and issue the verdicts, a significant number of inspectors are expected to have their certificates revoked, and many vehicle inspection centers will be temporarily suspended for a period of 3 months in accordance with Decree No. 139/2018/ND-CP and Decree No. 30/2023/ND-CP.

According to statistics, there are 42 provinces with 112 vehicle inspection centers where inspectors have been prosecuted. According to Point c, Clause 16, Article 1 of Decree No. 30/2023/ND-CP, inspectors who are “convicted by a court verdict that has taken legal effect for violating regulations related to motor vehicle inspection” shall have their certificates revoked.

This situation will result in the cessation of operations of 91 inspection centers in 32 provinces, as stipulated in Clause 10, Article 1 of Decree No. 30/2023, which states that inspection centers with “two or more inspectors whose certificates are revoked within a continuous period of 12 months” shall be temporarily suspended from operating motor vehicle inspection services for a period of 3 months.

It is predicted that the number of vehicles undergoing inspection will significantly decrease in August 2024 (the 7th lunar month) but will surge again in the last months of 2024, especially when coinciding with the enforcement of court verdicts, leading to congestion at inspection centers.

Specifically, according to preliminary reports, up to 55% of inspectors in Hanoi and about 40% in Ho Chi Minh City have been prosecuted. When these inspectors are convicted by court verdicts that take legal effect simultaneously (in September or October 2024), there will be only 2 operating inspection centers in each of these two cities.

To address this issue, the Ministry of Transport is submitting to the Government for amendment and supplementation of a number of provisions of Decree No. 139/2018 on the business of motor vehicle inspection services, including: Temporary suspension of certificate revocation for inspectors who are given suspended sentences or non-custodial reform without a ban on their profession. Temporary suspension of the 3-month suspension for inspection centers with two or more inspectors whose certificates are revoked.

At the same time, the Vietnam Registry has coordinated with the Departments of Transport in some localities (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City), the Traffic Police Department (Ministry of Public Security), and the Vehicle and Machinery Department (General Department of Logistics and Technology, Ministry of National Defense) to prepare a plan to reinforce resources in the worst-case scenario to ensure the maintenance of the inspection system, serving the legitimate inspection needs of the people and businesses.