Man fined $237 for holding Tet party on expressway

Ho Chi Viet, Facebook profile Ho Viet, was punished just days after he posted pictures and a livestream video of his family having a Tet meal Wednesday, the second day of the new lunar year, on the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway running between Hanoi and the northern mountain town of Sa Pa.

Not long after the footage of the family of four recklessly parking their car on a shoulder and enjoying their meal went online, there was a public outcry online, prompting the traffic police to step in.

Viet’s license has been suspended for two months.

Expressway shoulders are only meant for vehicles to pull over in an emergency.

Parking violations on expressways are subject to fines of VND5-6 million ($215-$258).

Road crashes are a leading cause of death in Vietnam, killing almost one person every hour. A total of more than 18,720 accidents occurred last year, killing 8,244 people and injuring nearly 14,800, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee.