Undercover cops in Hanoi catch men peeing in public

By VnExpress February 13, 2017 | 12:24 am PT

Three taxi drivers spotted urinating in public receive a fine of VND2 million each. Photo by VnExpress/Son Duong

Best try and hold it in unless you want to receive a hefty fine - and be caught on camera.

Undercover police in Hanoi's urban district of Hoang Mai are using hidden cameras to catch people who relieve themselves in the street.

The force – dubbed the district's environment police – caught three men last Friday morning urinating on the street.

The force secretly recorded the whole thing on a camera.

The offenders were taxi drivers who simply couldn’t wait to use a toilet, said the police.

Each of them received a fine of VND2 million ($88).

Anti-social behavior such as littering, urinating in a public place and using bad language is not acceptable, said Nguyen Hong Thai, Hoang Mai District’s police chief.

The move by Hoang Mai has sent out unequivocal message to people who treat the city’s streets like a toilet. First time offenders will be issued with a hefty fine, while second time offenders will be given community service under a Corrective Work Order.

Last year, Hanoi laid out a list of “dos and don’ts” to improve public manners in the city.

The city is calling on people to maintain a clean environment; comply with the law; respect the rights of others; show courtesy to people, especially the elderly, physically disabled, and pregnant women; and dress decently in public.

Other measures include banning people from littering, spitting or urinating in public, using bad language and dressing in a provocative and indecent way.

Hanoi has been working on the new set of rules since 2012 to curb indecent behavior, with at least eight clauses that seem to have been inspired by longstanding bad habits, according to the city’s culture officials.

> Vietnam to slap higher fines on public urination