On July 21 and 22, along the eastern section of National Highway No.1A in Dak Lak Province, the degradation is severe. In communes like Xuan Canh and Xuan Loc, the road surface is a treacherous landscape of bumps and depressions. Even freshly patched potholes show signs of new decay.
The situation is particularly dire in the Hoa My area of Xuan Canh Commune, where the road is covered in “fish-scale” cracks. This pattern of disrepair continues for kilometers along the bypass route through the wards of Song Cau and Xuan Dai as well as Xuan Tho Commune and at Doc Gang (Xuan Tho Commune), where deep fissures threaten to become gaping chasms with the next heavy rain.
The bypass route is in a similar condition, stretching for many kilometers. At Doc Gang (Xuan Tho commune), the road surface is continuously uneven, with many sections having deep cracks, at risk of forming big potholes in heavy rain. The border area between Xuan Tho and Tuy An Bac communes has many points at risk of paralyzing traffic during prolonged rain and floods.
For Nguyen Van Cong, a truck driver from Dong Thap Province, the feeling is one of weary resignation.
“Every rainy season, this old stretch of National Highway No.1A is our biggest worry”, he lamented. “The potholes are everywhere. The section through Doc Gang is just terrifying. We break leaf springs, our engines get damaged. Sometimes the cargo is ruined from the jolts, we miss our delivery times, and we’re the ones who have to pay the penalty, taking a heavy loss. We pay all our road tolls, but for years we’ve had to put up with this. We can only look up and cry out to the heavens!”
The journey doesn’t improve. After crossing the Cu Mong Pass into Gia Lai Province, the road surface at Ong Phat Hillside (Quy Nhon Dong Ward) is, to use a local idiom, “utterly decimated”. The constant risk has left residents furious. “We’ve been complaining for two years, raising it at every voter meeting, but it’s like no one listens”, fumed Dang Van Minh, a local veteran. “In the dry season, we’re choked with dust; in the rainy season, it’s a minefield of potholes.”
Further along this road, a 10-kilometer section in Tuy Phuoc Commune is also in a state of chronic disrepair, a known “black spot” for pothole-related accidents. As this section is managed by the BOT toll collector Nam Binh Dinh, drivers are incensed that they have to pay for the privilege of navigating such a “road of misery”. Another BOT-managed section further north was the site of a fatal accident in December 2024, where a pothole was a contributing factor.
In response to inquiries, officials acknowledged the problems. Chief of Office of the Gia Lai Province Traffic Safety Committee Nguyen Van Chien stated that his office has demanded investors repair the “hot spots” at Ong Phat Hillside and the BOT Nam Binh Dinh section before the 2025 rainy season. “The BOT Nam Binh Dinh investor has reported they are launching a full-route repair project worth over VND100 billion (approx. US$3.9 million), set to begin this month”, he said.
Deputy Director Nguyen Phuong Nam of Road Management Area 3 also admitted to the poor conditions passing the provinces of Dak Lak and Gia Lai, confirming a major repair project for the Doc Gang section to ensure safety for road users especially during the rainy season.
However, he noted that responsibility for the Ong Phat Hillside section mentioned above has been transferred to another agency, Project Management Unit 85 (the Ministry of Construction). “We have advised the Vietnam Road Administration to compel them to complete repairs before the rainy season this year”, he said. “As for the BOT sections, we are continuously enforcing their responsibility to fix these issues.”
The perils aren’t limited to potholes. In Lam Dong Province, key coastal roads leading to Mui Ne National Tourist Area are frequently inundated by “red sand floods” that cascade from hillside construction projects, damaging property and businesses. The primary cause is an incomplete drainage system on an uphill road, a problem that has persisted despite repeated incidents since 2024.
To fix this, the Lam Dong Province Department of Construction has requested to dredge and clear road 706B, install gabions to reduce water accumulation, and inspect the entire drainage system. Similarly, on National Highway No.27C connecting Lam Dong Province with Khanh Hoa Province, some narrow sections and sharp curves are also being urgently upgraded and expanded.
Meanwhile, in Quang Tri Province, the mountainous National Highway No.15D – a vital but treacherous link from Ho Chi Minh Highway to La Lay international border gate with Laos – is struggling to cope. This route is located on steep terrain, deep abysses, with small curves, steep slopes, and 14 points with potential traffic safety risks. From the beginning of 2025 until now, there have been 6 consecutive accidents involving overturned trucks blocking the road on QL15D, causing hundreds of cargo trucks to wait for dozens of hours and much damage to businesses.
Since the Government began allowing overloaded trucks to travel 10km inland from the border before unloading, the already inadequate road has seen a surge in heavy traffic, leading to severe degradation and a spate of accidents. From the beginning of 2025, six truck rollovers have blocked the artery for hours on end. The province is now investing VND39.7 billion (approx. $1.56 million) in urgent safety upgrades.
The abstract dangers of these roads were thrown into sharp, tragic relief by a horrific accident at 2:00 a.m. on July 25. On National Highway No.1A in Ha Tinh Province, a sleeper coach, reportedly speeding in heavy rain, lost control and overturned, killing 10 people and injuring 15.
The incident prompted an urgent dispatch from Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, demanding a full investigation and the strict prosecution of any responsible individuals or organizations. He also ordered a nationwide increase in patrols, stricter controls on passenger transport, and a review of vehicle journey monitoring systems, a grim acknowledgment that the country’s roads of misery demand immediate, decisive action.
