Vice Chairman of Hanoi Department of Planning and Architecture Dao Ngoc Nghiem said that it will be impossible for Hanoi to ease traffic congestion without developing public transport. Meanwhile, the amount of land allocated to transport infrastructure remains far too modest.

Traffic jam in Hanoi

According to Dr. Nghiem, only 10% out of Hanoi’s land is allocated for transport infrastructure, which is woefully inadequate compared to the necessary rate of 20-25%. Besides, a mere 0.3% of the city’s land fund is provided for parking and bus stops, much lower than the regulated level of 3-4%.

Hanoi’s population has reached nearly 10 million people, but private vehicles remain the major means of transport in the city, adding to more traffic jams.

Hanoi planned to build urban railway routes 20 years ago, however, to date, work on the first Ha Dong-Cat Linh route is years behind schedule.

Dr. Nghiem also blamed limited traffic management capacity for congestion in Hanoi.

Regarding the construction of more apartment blocks in Hanoi’s inner-city districts, Nghiem said that this is also a factor adding to the city’s traffic problems.

At present, Hanoi has more than 200 high-rise buildings. Many other cities in the world have even more these buildings than Hanoi, but they do not face traffic jams, Nghiem said, explaining that this is because they pay attention to infrastructure and planning issues along with the building development.

In Vietnam, many investors only focus on construction don’t care about infrastructure development.

Despite six ministries of 22 relocated to the outskirts of the city, there has been scant improvement in their old land being repurposed for public use.