Vietnam: Vietnam's motor cyclists must wear helmets

From today, it will be compulsory for Vietnam's 21 million motorcyclists to wear crash helmets as the government tries to cut down on road deaths by bringing a new law into force.

Vietnam's police force will check motor cyclists are wearing helmets and those who don't comply with the law will be fined up to 200,000 dong ($12.50), according to Nguyen Duc Nhanh, head of the Hanoi police.

"Wearing helmets helps reduce damage caused by road accidents and raises public awareness in abiding by traffic regulations,"' said Pham Manh Viet, Hanoi-based vice chief administrator of the National Traffic Safety Committee, a government agency. "We need to continue propaganda campaigns and give fines to violators."