A reported 160 people were killed and 248 injured in 253 road accidents during the six days of the Lunar New Year holiday from February 7- 12, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee.

There were 57 road accidents, which killed 37 people and injured 65, on February 10 alone. Several serious accidents involving large number of fatalities and injuries were also been reported.

On February 9, a collision between a truck and three motorbikes killed four people and seriously injured three on the outskirts of Hanoi at Chuong My District.

 A collision between a truck and three motorbikes killed four people and seriously injured three on the outskirts of Hanoi at Chuong My District on February 9.

A collision also occurred yesterday in the southern province of Vinh Long between a coach and another bus, killing two people and injuring 11 others.

Police also recorded an increase in the number of traffic violations during the holiday. A majority of the violations involved speeding, drunk driving, and driving without wearing of helmets.

Despite the horrific death toll, the National Traffic Safety Committee claimed the number of road accidents had  decreased sharply compared to the 2015 Tet holiday, with a 37% fall in number of accidents and 31% decrease in number of fatalities, and 38% fall in the number of injures.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who is also chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, asked police forces of localities to make sure they were on duty and dedicated to curbing traffic incidents even during the holiday period.

He said the traffic police, particularly in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, where increased traffic will happen as people return to work need to ensure traffic order and road safety.