The Vietnam Registration Department said about 70,000 automobiles have passed their expiry date since the beginning of this year and were no longer considered road worthy – but that the majority are still in use.

Furthermore, the department said 40,000 trucks and nearly 30,000 buses are onsidered no longer roadworthy but that just 10,400 have been impounded.

Than Van Thanh, chief of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said the law prohibits aged vehicles from being on the road for safety reasons.

He added that vehicle owners are also largely ignorant of the law, while others openly flout road regulations because punishments are not strict enough.

The department, which has 88 vehicle registration centres nationwide, said owners often use fake registration documents to bypass the law and fool officials.

Most elderly and illegal vehicles are discovered in major cities such as Hanoi , HCM City and Dong Nai.

The Traffic Department said officials often confiscate registration documents shortly before a vehicle needs to be scrapped, and inform owners and relevant agencies about the approaching deadline.

The Vietnam Registration Department said the number of unfit vehicles on the country's roads has decreased since Decree No 92 was promulgated.

However, the department said it is not easy to clearly state when foreign-made vehicle should be taken off the roads because of the availability of new parts.

Vehicles that have no documents are automatically considered unroad-worthy.

The department has published the registration numbers of those vehicles that should not be on the road.

Nguyen Huu Tri, the Registration Department head, said a public awareness campaign on the regulation has been run by local media.

Nguyen Duc Nghi, director of the municipal police, said police will step-up checks on trucks and buses. Those found un-roadworthy face fines of 4-6 million VND (190-285 USD) for each violation./.