Diagnosing traffic problems in Ho Chi Minh City.

With the implementation of many coordinated solutions from relevant authorities, it is expected that the traffic situation in Ho Chi Minh City will improve.

As the Lunar New Year approaches, the streets of Ho Chi Minh City are packed with people and vehicles, causing prolonged traffic congestion regardless of peak or off-peak hours. In response to this situation, city authorities have urgently stepped in to find solutions to alleviate the problem.

Analyzing the causes

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Loi, Deputy Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Safety Committee, noted that traffic in the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year) continued to show a significant improvement in traffic awareness. Violations such as driving on sidewalks and running red lights have decreased considerably. The number of traffic accidents has also dropped significantly compared to the same period last year. However, traffic congestion on major and key routes occurs frequently, at almost all times of the day.

Meanwhile, the city's transportation infrastructure is overloaded compared to the current volume of vehicles. Furthermore, there have been instances of technical malfunctions in traffic light control, as well as delays in coordination among authorities. Therefore, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has directed relevant units to immediately implement measures to resolve these issues when necessary, creating favorable conditions for citizens to comply with traffic regulations while maintaining smooth traffic flow.

People strictly obey traffic laws. Photo: NGOC QUY

Lieutenant Colonel Le Manh Ha, Deputy Head of the Staff Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Police, said that the city has implemented many solutions such as expanding roads, building new and replacing temporary bridges, constructing metro lines, building overpasses and underpasses… and organizing traffic more rationally to ensure traffic safety and reduce traffic congestion.

According to observations by reporters from the Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper, after more than 17 days since Decree 168/2024 came into effect, the traffic situation in Ho Chi Minh City has seen significant improvements. On many roads, people are complying well with traffic safety regulations, such as stopping at the correct traffic light and not driving on sidewalks.

Recently, Government Decree 168/2024, which stipulates administrative penalties for violations of traffic order and safety in the field of road traffic; and the deduction and restoration of points on driver's licenses, came into effect on January 1, 2025. Simultaneously, during the period leading up to the Lunar New Year, traffic density increased due to the high demand for travel by people, as well as the increased demand for goods and passenger transport, causing localized congestion on some routes. Traffic coordination efforts have revealed some shortcomings in traffic management, particularly regarding the prohibition of right turns (or going straight) at red lights in some intersections.

Implement multiple solutions simultaneously.

Mr. Do Ngoc Hai, Head of the Maintenance and Operation Management Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, said that to minimize traffic congestion, the Department of Transport has coordinated with the Traffic Police Department of the city to review each intersection, location, and area to install right-turn lights for two-wheeled vehicles, especially in areas where long queues of vehicles occur and areas with minimal impact on pedestrians.

"Once we agree on a location, we'll install them immediately. We'll conduct surveys and finalize plans for immediate installation," Mr. Hai said. By January 15th, Ho Chi Minh City had installed 301 traffic lights at 126 intersections; it is expected that all 500 lights for phase 1 will be installed by January 19th. Simultaneously, the locations for installing countdown timers are being reviewed and adjusted to suit the actual situation.

In the coming period, the Ho Chi Minh City Police will continue to coordinate with relevant agencies to review, install, repair, and supplement traffic lights to facilitate right turns for two-wheeled vehicles at red lights. Regarding the issue of vehicles stopping at red lights blocking the path for motorcycles turning right, the Ho Chi Minh City Police will continue to coordinate with and propose to the Department of Transport to study the addition of lane separation and painted directional markings to address this situation.

On January 17th, District 3 launched the campaign for the 2025 Traffic Safety Year and a peak period for ensuring traffic safety during the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival 2025. Immediately after the launch ceremony, District 3 forces marched to visually and vividly educate the public, encouraging them to voluntarily comply with the law and adhere to traffic safety rules.

Over 1,800 cases of illegal taxis and unauthorized bus stops were dealt with.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Manh Ha stated that to prevent illegal taxis and unauthorized bus stops, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department has directed traffic police forces to intensify inspections and handle violations in passenger transport activities in the area. The traffic police also launched a comprehensive inspection, control, and violation handling campaign from November 25, 2024, to February 14, 2025. From November 25, 2024, to the present, traffic police have handled over 1,850 violations, revoked 122 driver's licenses, and imposed fines exceeding 1.5 billion VND.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Ha, through feedback from the press, the public, and inspection and review work, the Traffic Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City and the Department of Transport have identified locations with signs of illegal stopping and parking for picking up and dropping off passengers in the area. Currently, the Ho Chi Minh City Police are coordinating with relevant agencies to check all documents related to passenger transport business activities at these locations; installing and extracting surveillance cameras, tracking and monitoring vehicle routes, secretly recording footage, and obtaining signed commitments from vehicle owners and drivers participating in passenger transport services... Currently, the database of vehicles and routes of commercial transport vehicles is gradually being completed and connected and shared with traffic police forces at all levels. Once the database is completed, traffic police will not only be able to inspect and fine violations directly on the road, but violations will also be detected through the extraction of vehicle route data to serve as a basis for handling violations.

Untangling the bottlenecks at Tan Son Nhat Airport.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Binh, Deputy Head of the Traffic Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police, said that the Tan Son Nhat airport area has prepared a traffic congestion prevention team according to the plan of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. This team includes the Department of Transport, the Ho Chi Minh City Police, the Traffic Police Department, and other relevant units, including forces within Tan Son Nhat airport.

This group will continuously provide images and reports of traffic incidents so that the relevant forces can coordinate to resolve them.

Specifically, within the airport area, there is a designated "parking area" for vehicles. When traffic congestion occurs in the area, authorities will direct vehicles into this area. This will then be used to regulate and resolve congestion at the Lang Cha Ca roundabout.

A. Vu

Source: https://nld.com.vn/bat-benh-giao-thong-tp-hcm-196250117213619408.htm