Uber private car

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

One of two Lexus cars given by a private company to Cà Mau provincial authorities, prompting public concerns and a Government promise to investigate. — Photo dantri.com.vn Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — The Government will direct authorities to investigate the controversial gifting of luxury cars by private companies to officials in the southern province of Cà Mau and the coastal city of Đà Nẵng. This was promised by Mai Tiến Dũng, head of the Government Office, at the monthly cabinet meeting held recently. The Prime Minister has tasked the Ministry of Finance, Government Inspectorate and Ministry of Justice, to look into the matter. The findings will then be made available to the media. According to media reports, two Lexus GX 460 currently in use by the Cà Mau People’s Committee – each costing about VNĐ3 billion (US$131,000) – were given as presents by Công Lý Ltd last March, ostensibly strictly for use in  “inspecting and directing climate change response activities.” … [Read more...] about Luxury car gifts to be probed

The southernmost province of Cà Mau has returned two Lexus cars presented by a local private company, the chief of the provincial People’s Committee office. — Photo tuoitre.vn CÀ MAU — The southernmost province of Cà Mau has returned two Lexus cars presented by a local private company, the chief of the provincial People’s Committee office, Nguyễn Đức Thánh, said yesterday. Thánh said that the move followed a regular meeting on Wednesday where Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc asked localities not to receive cars presented by enterprises. The province also informed the PM about the return of the cars, Thanh said. Local media had earlier reported on the two luxury Lexus GX 460 cars that the Công Lý Construction, Trade and Tourism Company presented to the Cà Mau People’s Committee ostensibly to be of service in preventing and controlling disasters like floods and forest fires in the province. — VNS … [Read more...] about Cà Mau returns two Lexus gift cars

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

Container truck flips over car, three killed The Saigon Times The car was crushed by the container – PHOTO: COURTESY OF NATIONAL TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMITTEE HCMC – Three people—two men and a woman—died after a container truck travelling on National Highway 18A in Quang Ninh Province on June 17 flipped over and fell onto their car in the opposite direction, crushing it. The accident occurred at some 10:30 p.m. in the northern province’s Quang Minh Commune, Hai Ha District, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported. The truck driver, Le Thanh Hai, 53, escaped unhurt. Three cranes were sent to the scene to lift the container, which was carrying a heavy load, off the car. The national highway was only cleared for traffic at some 4 a.m., six hours after the accident. Police have identified the three victims as Hoang Minh Ha, 40, the car driver; Duong Van Tu, 45, director of a private company in Quang Ninh and Ha Minh Trang, 23, an accountant at Tu’s company. Ha and Trang resided in … [Read more...] about Container truck flips over car, three killed

A car displaying a badge at a Hà Nội - Hải Phòng Expressway toll booth. — Photo baogiaothong.vn Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — The number of drivers using fake environmental ID badges on the Hà Nội – Hải Phòng Expressway to avoid paying the toll fee has increased recently, the Giao Thông (Transport) newspaper reported. Private and even luxury cars have the fake badges stuck in their windscreens, according to the Hà Nội – Hải Phòng Expressway Exploitation and Management Company. According to the General Department of Natural Response and Recovery under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), only the department and provincial steering committees for natural disaster prevention and control had the right to issue badges, which can be legitimately used by drivers who are working on dyke protection projects or responding to natural disasters. Nguyễn Đức Quang, the department’s deputy head, said that the procedure and criteria for issuing the badges was strictly … [Read more...] about Cars wear false dyke protection badges to enjoy toll fee free

People will soon have more options to travel from Hà Nội’s downtown area to Nội Bài International Airport. – VNA/VNS Photo HÀ NỘI (VNS) — Three coach operators have jointed a pilot programme to offer rides for about VNĐ40,000 (US$1.8) per ride from downtown Hà Nội to Nội Bài International Airport beginning this month. The operators are Hải Vân International Transport Joint Venture Company, Việt Thanh Transport Ltd Company and ABC Taxi Service Joint Stocks Company. They will open three coach routes to Nội Bài International Aiport. The first route will have stops at Thống Nhất Park, Quang Trung Street, Hai Bà Trưng, Lý Thái Tổ, Chương Dương Bridge, Nguyễn Văn Cừ and Đông Trù Bridge. The second route includes stops at Hoàng Cầu Street, Thái Hà, Cầu Giấy, Bưởi, Võ Chí Công and Nhật Tân Bridge. The third route will stop at Nước Ngầm Station, Linh Đàm, Nguyễn Xiển, Ring Road 3, Phạm Văn Đồng and Thăng Long Bridge. Signals will be set up for coaches to pick up passengers. … [Read more...] about Private transport firms offer cheap ride from Hà Nội to Nội Bài Airport

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?

A section of the Cát Linh - Hà Đông urban railway in Hà Nội.  — VNS Photo Đoàn Tùng HÀ NỘI — Experts and businesses said the capital city has been leading the country in attracting investment for traffic-related infrastructure, said Kinh Tế &Đô Thị (Economic and Urban Affairs) Newspaper. However, there are still many shortcomings that need to be solved. Car parking areas, in particular, must be invested in. Hà Nội is facing a shortage of car parking spaces. At present, the city has met just 10-15 per cent of demand for car parking spaces. Building this critical infrastructure will require capital from private investors, as the municipal budget cannot accommodate the demand. Investment from the private sector in recent years has failed to meet expectations. Phan Trường Thành, an expert on urban management, said that private investors were cautious about investing in this area, as the city hadn’t made detailed future plans on static traffic works. “Investors were … [Read more...] about Capital needs investment in static traffic infrastructure

Second thought for a proposed motorcycle ban The Saigon Times Daily The proposal to ban motorcycles in downtown HCMC is revisited, time and again, as authorities seek to fight traffic congestion, and as usual, the tentative scheme has drawn fire from experts and the general public alike. In the scheme to develop public transport and restrict individual vehicles, authorities target to gradually limit motorcycles in downtown HCMC from 2025, which will amount to an outright ban by 2030. Under the scheme presented by the HCMC Department of Transport and the Transport Development and Strategy Institute (TDSI) under the transport ministry, it is reported that relevant agencies have conducted a survey among 35,000 passengers across the city, and the majority approve of the ban. Up to 62.5% of the respondents approve of the restrictive measures, comprising of over 40% giving full support and 22% giving partial support on the condition that public transport be developed to an agreeable … [Read more...] about Second thought for a proposed motorcycle ban