“Parents, Take Note: Children Under 10 Must Be Secured in the Back Seat”

As per Decree 168, from January 1, 2026, drivers in Vietnam may be fined between VND 800,000 and VND 1,000,000 if they carry children under the age of 10 in the front seat or fail to use appropriate safety equipment.

Specifically, children under 10 years old or shorter than 1.35 m must sit in the back seat, fastened with a suitable seatbelt, or seated in a child safety seat.

While many Vietnamese families have started using child safety seats, directly attaching them to the ISOFIX system in the back seat, some still allow children to ride in the front passenger seat.

The prohibition of children riding in the front seat is a long-standing regulation in many countries. In the UK, children aged 3-12 years or shorter than 1.35 m must use a child safety seat if sitting in the front and are mandated to sit in the back, fastened with appropriate seatbelts.

Children under 3 years old are only permitted in the front seat if the vehicle has a single row of seats, and the driver must deactivate the airbag in the passenger area.

It is recommended that children sit in safety seats installed in the back row. Photo by Hertz.

In California, USA, children under 8 years old or shorter than 1.44 m are not allowed in the front passenger seat. Similar regulations are in place in Georgia and Nebraska.

While states like Missouri, Montana, Arkansas, and Hawaii lack specific laws, they have advised that the front seat should only be occupied by children over 13 years old.

In China, according to the Shanghai Municipal Road Traffic Management Regulations, children under 12 years old have been prohibited from sitting in the front seat since 2017. Children under 4 years old must use a dedicated child safety seat if traveling in a vehicle.

A similar rule applies in Thailand, where, according to Nation Thailand, children are required to sit in the back seat if the car has four seats. Children under 6 years old or shorter than 1.35 m must be seated in a safety seat to ensure their security.

Keeping children out of the front passenger seat next to the driver is intended to protect them in the event of a collision. The back seat offers better protection during accidents, especially when children are secured in appropriately designed and installed safety seats.

In Vietnam, it is common for children to share the front and back seats with adults, and many do not use seatbelts for their young passengers. The new regulation and associated fines are expected to improve child safety on the country’s roads.