Drivers in Hanoi are hiding their license plates to evade AI traffic cameras

As Hanoi expands its network of 1,873 AI-powered traffic cameras across major intersections, many motorbike drivers, especially ride-hailing and delivery workers, are finding increasingly creative ways to avoid being fined.

Hung, a 31-year-old ride-hailing driver from Hung Yen Province that borders Hanoi, admitted that he uses two small white stickers to hide the first digits of his five-digit plate number, effectively turning it into a four-digit plate.

"I know it's wrong, but sometimes I ride against traffic, so this is how I cope," he said.

A spot check at the Nga Tu So intersection on the morning of Nov. 12 found more than a dozen motorbike drivers covering their plates in just 20 minutes. Similar scenes were seen at the Nguyen Trai – Khuat Duy Tien junction.

Drivers use a range of tricks. Some cover their plates almost entirely with face masks. Others use black tape to alter digits, turning 0, 9 and 3 into 8, or changing 5 into 6. Some even reshape letters, like converting F into E. Others paint over parts of the plate, stick on decals or use paper clips to obscure characters. Many delivery riders place sacks or packages in a way that makes their plates unreadable to cameras.

Pham Van Chien, head of Road Traffic Police Team No. 6, said officers have documented a clear rise in deliberate plate obstruction since AI cameras were installed. Patrol teams now use specialized motorbikes and vehicles to record violations and pull drivers over.

When stopped, drivers often claim innocence, saying the plate "got dirty" or insisting they did not know. Some even blame children for sticking things onto their plates. Officers say verifying these claims and issuing penalties is challenging.

The problem also hurts other road users. Nguyen Trong Dat, 40, said his car mirror was shattered two weeks ago when a motorbike hit him and fled. The bike's plate had been covered with a face mask, leaving him without any way to identify the rider for compensation.

On Nov. 12, the national Traffic Police Department warned that covering or altering plates is a deliberate effort to evade enforcement and threatens social order. Some offenders, they said, use modified plates to commit crimes and avoid being tracked.

The department plans to propose harsher penalties for violations such as mounting plates in the wrong position, altering characters or colors, using nonstandard materials, or bending, covering or reshaping the plate. Officials also encourage citizens to send photos of drivers who hide or modify their plates so they can be punished.

Under Vietnamese regulations, covering, blurring, or altering a license plate carries a fine of VND20–26 million (US$760-990) for car owners and VND4–6 million for motorbike owners, along with a six-point deduction from 12 points on the driver's license.