On my drive home the other night after an evening event, I chose a route that I figured would have a police checkpoint at that time of night on the lookout for drunk drivers. Let me modify that: drivers who had even one sip of an alcoholic beverage. Yes, that’s how strict Vietnamese law is these days. ZERO TOLERANCE.

As a man, I was naturally stopped. My interior monologue wanted to speak to the cop with slurred speech and look at him with glazed eyes just to see that “gotcha!” look in his eyes. (For those who understand the cultural reference, think Dean Martin.) Instead, I told him in Vietnamese – and with a smile – that I had had nothing to drink that day. I donated my breath, saw the digital readout “xin chờ” (please wait) and within seconds received the expected negative result. He said “thank you” in English and I was on my merry way, license in hand and millions of VND in potential fine money still in my bank account.

Anyone driving with alcohol in their system faces a hefty fine and loss of his/her license for a long time. Car drivers can now be fined VND30-40 million ($1,235-$1,647) and have their driver’s license revoked for up to two years, while motorbike drivers face fines of 6-8 million VND ($247-$329) and a two-year license revocation. Motorbike drivers and bicyclists can also be waved over for a breathalyzer test.

In my home state of Delaware in the US, DUI is a misdemeanor offense for any person with a blood alcohol concentration of .08% or greater, The first offense will cost you $550-$1,500 and up to one year in jail, and a one to two-year revocation of your license. The second offense and subsequent offenses call for fines ranging from $750 to $2,500, mandatory imprisonment of not less than 60 days but not more than 18 months, and an 18 to 30-month license revocation.

In Vietnam, the pendulum has shifted from one extreme, drinking and driving with impunity unless you cause an accident, to the other in what is traditionally a drinking culture in which drinking prodigious quantities of alcohol is one definition of being a man. My hope is that one day the government will liberalize this law to allow a drink or two, which doesn’t impair most people.

One of my contacts recently told me that he saw a police checkpoint at 10 a.m. on a busy street in Hanoi. That made me wonder how long alcohol remains in your system, so I Googled it. I wasn’t the only one. Here’s one explanation: A breathalyzer can detect alcohol on the breath for up to 24 hours. The amount of time that alcohol stays detectable on the breath depends on the individual and the quantity of alcohol consumed.

For now, I promise to be a good boy and never drink – even a sip – and drive. It’s just too damn expensive in terms of money and time in the passenger’s seat.

Shalom (שלום), MAA