HCMC – the core in the Southern key economic zone – accommodates a large number of migrants coming for learning and working purposes. Each Tet holiday, traffic congestion is the infamous scene at every city exit, causing exhaustion to people coming back to their hometown.
However, the traffic flows this year are much smoother after the operation of the two important expressways to Can Tho City and to Vinh Hao (Binh Thuan Province).
When My Thuan 2 Bridge and the My Thuan – Can Tho Expressway opened on January 24, 2023, the traffic pressure on National Highway No.1A reduced by half. As a result, since the middle of the 12th lunar month, there has been no serious traffic jam at the exits of HCMC even though groups after groups of migrating worker families are going back to their hometown.
Mr. Thanh from Hong Dan District of Bac Lieu Province is a worker in Thuan An Industrial Park in Binh Duong Province shared that this is the 5th year his family has used a scooter for the trip back home. Yet it now takes him only 6 hours instead of 10 hours formerly because the number of vehicles on National Highway No.1A as well as traffic accidents drops dramatically thanks to the operation of the expressway from HCMC to Can Tho City.
Other helpful routes also contribute to effectively reducing the traffic load for national highways. One such example is Tan An Ring Road in Long An Province, coming into operation at the end of last December to link Tan An City – Chau Thanh District – Tan Tru District – Thu Thua District and partially shouldering the traffic burden of National Highway No.1A and No.62.
Another useful element to eliminate traffic congestion is the traffic police force and relevant functional teams. For instance, Ben Luc Bridge – the used-to-be hot spot of traffic jam – is now clear thanks to better rearrangement of street vendors and food stands, strict punishments of road encroachment, and timely traffic regulating – both online and on-site – to minor routes.
Rach Mieu Bridge is also infamous for congestion every national holiday, becoming a nightmare to local residents from Ben Tre Province and Tra Vinh Province. To improve the situation, the traffic police force in Tien Giang Province and Ben Tre Province have collaborated to regulate traffic flows. When there is a potential jam, the traffic direction with fewer vehicles is directed to prioritize the opposite direction, while the BOT toll plaza is asked to stop working temporarily for the flow to move faster. Ferries are also mobilized for eligible groups of road users.
Moving northwards from HCMC, the two expressways of Phan Thiet – Dau Giay and Vinh Hao – Phan Thiet were open to the public in April and May, 2023 respectively, greatly reducing travelling time to the provinces of Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan and providing more comfort moving experience. This has encouraged migrating people to come back to their hometown more frequently.
According to the Transport Department of Binh Thuan Province, the two above expressways, which is 160km long in total, has 7 intersections, so local people and goods trucks can exit from them to travel to their destinations conveniently and cost-effectively. In addition, to ensure traffic safety, this department regularly checks the routes to handle arisen problems immediately.
As to the sites undergoing repair or upgrade, related contractors have been asked to complete their work by January 31, 2024 or at least clean up the construction site temporarily for the high travel demands on these routes at Tet.
Finally, the project to expand and upgrade Prenn Pass in Da Lat City of Lam Dong Province began in February 2023. When finished, the route here will have 4 lanes on a road width of 14.5m and safer curves.
Major Nguyen Huynh Quoc Trung – Head of the Traffic and Order Police (under the Public Security Division of Da Lat City) shared that all of his force is taking turn to guard the traffic safety on the route. They also work with related units to set up street signs and instruction or warning boards. They have conducted a survey for the installation of a camera system to monitor the traffic status here and handle traffic law violations.
On the 2024 New Year Day, Prenn Pass route was temporarily open and proved to considerably reduce the traffic load on Mimosa Pass route. It takes 20-25 minutes to travel through the latter as there is a mixture of trucks, private cars, and coaches. Choosing the former halves the time as the road is wider while trucks are not allowed here.
The People’s Committee of Lam Dong Province stated that the whole Prenn Pass route will formally operate by the Lunar New Year to accommodate people reuniting with their family in their hometown as well as tourists coming to Da Lat City to appreciate flowers.
