Uber accepted cars

Workers set up a car ban pole on Giảng Võ Street, Hà Nội. - Photo zing.vn Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội has decided to ban Uber and Grab cars on 13 streets during rush hours in an effort to tackle increasing traffic jams. The city’s Department of Transport has, so far, installed signs prohibiting taxis and nine-seater commercial cars and smaller ones, including those of popular transportation networks Uber and Grab, on nine out of 13 streets. The ban is due to go into effect from Thursday. Accordingly, commercial cars will not be allowed to run between 6 and 9am and from 4.30 to 7.30pm. The streets on which the cars are banned are Hoàng Hoa Thám, Mai Xuân Thưởng, Giảng Võ and Láng Hạ, as well as Lê Văn Lương, Trường Chinh, Khâm Thiên and Hàng Bài, in addition to Phủ Doãn, Xuân Thủy, Cầu Giấy, Giải Phóng and the Chương Dương Bridge on the lane from Long Biên District to the city centre. Department director Vũ Văn Viện said the ban was aimed at reducing the … [Read more...] about Uber, Grab cars banned on 13 streets

Illegal car parking spot in Mạc Thái Tông Street of Cầu Giấy District. — Photo vietbao.vn Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — There are more and more illegal parking spots for cars and motorbikes in the inner city of Hà Nội, reported the Kinh Tế và Đô Thị (Economy & Urban). The illegal car parking spaces are located on empty land of awaiting construction areas, desserted argicultural land areas and in sidewalks, streets and residential areas. Notably, the illegal parking spots have been blatantly existing despite many fines being dished out. According to urban management experts, one of the main reasons for the problem was weak managament of authorised agencies. A case of car parking space in Mạc Thái Tông Street of Cầu Giấy District was one example. The district’s transport inspection told the paper that since earlier this year, the car parking spot was fined twice but it has been still illegally used. Another spot in Trần Hưng Đạo Street, Hoàn Kiếm District has been … [Read more...] about Management agencies must be taken responsibility of illegal car parking lots

A car worth VNĐ2.7 billion (US$118,400) was recently given to the People’s Committee of central Nghệ An Province by a construction corporation. — Photo tuoitre.vn Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has reiterated that all ministries and central authorities act to end the practice of State-owned agencies accepting luxury cars as gifts from private firms or individuals. This was one of the steps in fighting corruption and avoiding tax exemptions given to imported vehicles, he said at a regular Government meeting. He said the ministries, sectors and state-owned agencies should strictly follow the standards and mechanisms on the use of automobiles as contained in government Decision No. 32, that was issued in 2015. He asked the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to review the total number of spare cars and allocate them to sectors and localities with real needs. The MoF has also been asked to collaborate with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Government … [Read more...] about ‘Say no to cars as gifts’: PM

With more than 26,000 taxis, HCM City’s traffic congestion has worsened in recent years. – VNA/VNS Photo Viet Nam News HCM CITY – Stand on just about any sidewalk in downtown HCM City and you can’t fail to see an oncoming stream of taxis, a welcome sight for passengers during rush hour and rainy days, but quite a nuisance for many others. Some local residents and officials say the explosion of taxi services in recent years is contributing to traffic congestion, which has become increasingly worse. As of 2016, there were a total of 11,060 traditional taxis and 15,300 app-based taxis, double the number that city officials had previously targeted. Traffic is often so bad around the city that it’s uncommon for a resident to go for more than a day without struggling to wriggle through crowded streets at any time of the day. Adding to the congestion is the daily flush of vehicles that enter and leave the city from neighbouring provinces. Though the city’s … [Read more...] about Are taxis making HCM City’s traffic worse?

To make sharing economy really fair By Nguyen Quang Binh Soon after the first cars of the ride hailing service Uber started running in Vietnam’s key cities in 2014, this new type of transport quickly reigned supreme - PHOTO: THANH HOA The author of this article believes the sharing economy is the future of global prosperity. Still, it is necessary to pinpoint its shortcomings and remedy them. Soon after the first cars of the ride hailing service Uber started running in Vietnam’s key cities in 2014, this new type of transport quickly reigned supreme. It rallied supporters and faced opponents as well. So far, this business model has developed healthily, attracting both cars and motorcycles offering the services of already well-known brands such as Grab, GoViet, Be and Emddi. It is difficult to know exactly how many members there are in these fleets of “app-based taxis and motorbike taxis.” However, it is absolutely sure that the new business holds a powerful appeal … [Read more...] about To make sharing economy really fair

An overturned light truck on the approach to Bình Triệu Bridge in HCM City’s Thủ Đức District. — VNA/VNS Photo Mạnh Linh Viet Nam News HCM CITY — The chairman of HCM City People’s Committee Nguyễn Thành Phong instructed the municipal Department of Transport and relevant authorities to make studies for banning all light trucks during the day time in an effort to ease traffic congestion. “This is a necessary solution because traffic congestion is happening throughout the day, not only during peak hours, especially at the city’s enterences, major roads, Tân Sơn Nhất Airport and Cát Lái Port,”  Phong said at a Friday meeting to review traffic and safety for the first six months of this year. “Relevant authorities must continue to properly guide traffic routes, install more traffic lights, and arrange traffic police to ease traffic congestion,” he added. Phong also asked authorities to speed up projects to collect car parking fees, to set up walking streets in downtown and … [Read more...] about HCMC to ban light trucks in daytime

A new proposal for the reduction of toll fees, as well as the exemption of tolls for cars of 17 communes and wards located in a 10km radius of Ninh Lộc Toll Station in Khánh Hoa Province, has been submitted to the Ministry of Transport.— Photo dantri.com.vn KHÁNH HÒA — A new proposal for the reduction of toll fees, as well as the exemption of tolls for cars of 17 communes and wards located in a 10km radius of Ninh Lộc Toll Station in Khánh Hoa Province, has been submitted to the Ministry of Transport. The proposal came as a means to relieve tension from local drivers who are protesting against what they call unfair fees. “In the event that the ministry does not accept the proposal, the investor proposed that they would stop collecting fees from Ninh Lộc station, and asked that the government refund the investment and place the transport ministry in charge of collecting fees at the station”, Trần Phúc Tự, general director of the BOT Đèo Cả Company siad told online newspaper … [Read more...] about Investor proposes toll exemption in Ninh Lộc toll station

Nghệ An Province’s police chief Nguyễn Hữu Cầu. — Photo courtesy of the National Assembly Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Groundless accusations and lack of manpower to look into them were among reasons lawmakers cited against allegations made via phone calls or emails during the morning session of the 14th National Assembly’s fifth meeting in Hà Nội on May 24. NA deputies debated pros and cons of a proposal to accept such allegations in addition to traditional ways (in which citizens must either send them to Government agencies in written forms or present them in person) in the draft law on denunciation. “We must think about whether we can commit a significant amount of manpower to investigate a phone call or an email,” said deputy Trần Văn Mão. He said the number of valid accusations only amounted to nearly 20 per cent based on statistics collected during the last two years with traditional methods. Deputy Võ Đình Tín said that while allowing allegations to be made via phone … [Read more...] about No effort is too much in anti-corruption fight

Organisations and individuals who own parking lots where regulations are repeatedly violated will lose their licenses. — Photo baodautu.vn HA NOI (VNS) — The Ha Noi People's Committee earlier this month ordered the concerned authorities to ensure the implementation of the city's regulations in parking lots. The order specifically requires parking lots to strictly follow regulations during the Lunar New Year and other festivals held at the beginning of 2016. People often rush to festivals at the beginning of the year, so many owners of parking lots illegally increase their parking fees. The usual parking fee for motorbikes is VND5,000 to VND7,000 (from 2 US cents to 3 cents) per day, and for cars, it is VND15,000 to VND30,000 (67 cents to $1.3) daily. It is acceptable for the owners of parking lots to increase their fees by 10 to 20 per cent during festivals. However, in practice, the fees have dramatically risen to VND50,000-VND70,000 ($2.2 to $3.1) per motorbike per … [Read more...] about Ha Noi deals with parking lots violating regulations

An iParking attendant asks a driver to pay VNĐ50,000 for a parking slot. — Photo tienphong.vn Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Fraudulent charges have been reported at iParking spots in Hà Nội a year since the programme started. First piloted on downtown streets of Trần Hưng Đạo and Lý Thường Kiệt in Hoàn Kiếm District, the iParking service is now being deployed at 156 spots in seven urban districts. According to the city People’s Committee, the technology is expected to improve financial transparency and cashless payment for parking. Although it was initially announced that all international payment cards and mobile carriers are accepted, parking fees can only paid with a Viettel mobile phone account. Otherwise, car owners have to pay by cash. At iParking spots in Hoàn Kiếm and Hai Bà Trưng districts, staff have collected fees without giving tickets to car owners, the Tiền phong (Vanguard) newspaper reports. The iParking spots between 35 and 39 Tô Hiến Thành Street managed by … [Read more...] about Payment problems found at iParking spots