The Vietnamese government has recently implemented a new regulation requiring that images of violations occurring in passenger transport vehicles be sent in real-time to the Traffic Police Department. This initiative is part of Decree 319, which outlines the use of monitoring devices in commercial transport vehicles.

According to the decree, all commercial transport vehicles, including passenger cars, ambulances, and tow trucks, must be equipped with tracking devices that record images of the driver and passenger area. These devices must meet technical standards set by the Minister of Public Security. The regulation does not apply to military or police vehicles engaged in national defense and security tasks.

The monitoring devices are designed to capture the vehicle's journey, speed, and the duration of stops, as well as continuous recording of the driver and passenger area under various lighting conditions. Specifically, cameras in the passenger compartment must document when passengers board and disembark. Additionally, the devices must automatically detect and alert authorities to any violations of traffic laws or disturbances to public order caused by the driver or passengers.

Data collected from these devices will be transmitted to a service server and then in real-time to the Traffic Police Department's server. This data will be crucial for managing and addressing traffic violations. The decree also stipulates different data storage durations: journey data will be stored on the device for 30 days, on the service server for one year, and at the Traffic Police Department for three years. Images of the driver will be kept for three days, while passenger compartment images will be stored for ten days. Violation data will be retained for three months on the service server and three years at the Traffic Police Department.

After these periods, data must be deleted or destroyed unless it is being used to verify or address violations, complaints, or investigations, in which case it will continue to be stored. The government strictly prohibits the use of data from these monitoring devices to infringe on the dignity, privacy, or personal rights of individuals.

This decree will take effect on July 1, 2027, with a phased implementation of mandatory image recording devices based on vehicle type. Starting January 1, 2028, passenger transport vehicles with fewer than eight seats and cargo transport vehicles, excluding towing vehicles, must be equipped with driver image recording devices. For passenger transport vehicles with more than 29 seats, the requirement will come into effect on January 1, 2029, and for vehicles with 8 to 29 seats, by January 1, 2030.