The campaign aims to raise public awareness regarding legal blood-alcohol levels for drivers and provide breathalysers to traffic police.
The first phase of the new programme will be carried out in the two northern provinces of Ha Nam and Ninh Binh by 2011.
The localities will be provided with financial and technical support to reduce drink-driving.
The WHO representative in Viet Nam, Jean-Marc Olive, says "Drunkenness is a major factor in traffic accidents in Viet Nam."
"Local research indicates that over 34 per cent of death rate for traffic accidents were associated with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) exceeding the legal limit," he said.
"Enforcement is one of the most effective interventions to minimise traffic accidents, particularly with drunk drivers," Olive said.
Than Van Thanh, the National Traffic Safety Committee's Chief Secretariat said: "The traffic safety law issued in 2008 ruled the legal BAC level for motorcyclists reducing it 80 to 50mg/dl blood."
"Decree 34 that took effect in May, introduced increased fines for drivers violating blood alcohol concentration levels," Thanh said.
The campaign is a part of a global road safety programme that is running in ten countries with particularly high levels of traffic accidents.
The campaign has the support of international partners including the Global Road Safety Partnership and Johns Hopkins University. — VNS
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