Vietnam is to pay residents who snitch on traffic offenders up to five million dong ($200) as the Southeast Asian country strives to bring rule-breaking drivers into line on its notoriously chaotic roads.

Since the beginning of the year, authorities have dramatically upped the fines — to an almost unaffordable level for the average driver — for traffic violations including running a red light and using a mobile phone.

Under the new rules, anyone who reports a verified traffic offence in Vietnam — a one-party Communist state — can now bag up to 10 percent of fines levied, up to a ceiling of five million dong.

The identities of informants will be kept confidential "to ensure their privacy," the law said.

No one has so far been rewarded, according to state media, who cited police.

In a country where the average monthly income is around 7.7 million dong, running a red light with a motorbike now costs more than six million dong, six times the previous figure.

If a car driver does the same, it will set them back them close to 20 million dong, up from six million dong.

Fines have also doubled for using a mobile phone behind the wheel.

"I was shocked by the fine levels," said Grab bike driver Nguyen Quoc Phong, who confessed he regularly ran red lights in the capital Hanoi.

"I am scared now. I have started to obey the rules strictly," Phong told AFP, adding that he hated the idea of being filmed and reported to police by a fellow Hanoian.

One police officer in Hanoi told AFP he had seen several drivers break down in tears when handed a fine.

Around 77 million motorbikes and 6.3 million cars rule Vietnam's roads, official statistics showed.

In 2024, road accidents claimed 30 lives a day, while traffic — particularly in major cities — is horrendously slow as drivers move with little regard for traffic lights or road signs and rules.