As of March 8, only seven of the 31 automobile registration centers in Hanoi are actually in operation, causing overloading due to huge demand for vehicle inspections.

Nearly 76,000 vehicles required inspections this month but the operating centers can meet only 40 per cent of demand.

According to Vietnam Register, congestion in the registration process is likely to remain for the next several months following the temporary suspension of centers, especially in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

It said vehicle owners in the two cities should have their vehicles inspected in neighboring localities.

Recent investigations discovered that many registration centers used sophisticated techniques to ignore faults in motor vehicles and post illicit profits.

A total of 61 out of 281 automobile registration centers around the country have been suspended due to violations.