Traffic accidents in Vietnam are becoming a major problem which should be dealt with swiftly, said Transport Minister Dinh La Thang. 

Transport Minister Dinh La Thang in an interview with reporters

In the first ten months of this year, Vietnam saw 11,036 traffic accidents, leaving 9,265 dead and 8,379 injuried.

He pointed out that lax management of agencies that enforce traffic rules and lack of drivers' safety awareness are among main reasons. Also, he said, infrastructure continues to lag behind urban growth. The number of personal vehicles is rising sharply. Currently, the country has over 1.8 million cars; 33.6 million motorbikes. This is nearly 3 times the amount of 2003.

Traffic jams have continued rising in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Slow allocation of universities and hospitals out of the inner-city areas is a traffic pressure.

According to Thang, the funding and allocation of land for transportation infrastructure development in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City remains modest, accounting for only 6% to 7% of the total city area. At the same time, public transport is clearly failing to meet people's demand.

He added that the enforcement of traffic laws and requirements for drivers licenses is not strict enough, leading to incompetent drivers.

He has set a target to reduce the number of traffic-related injuries and deaths by 5% to 10% during his term.

Some of the means he will use are changing work and school hours, dividing roads into clear lanes, and developing a more effective bus network in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Traffic jams a big problem for Hanoi and HCM City