Vehicles queue up at the gate of a motor vehicle registration centre in Yên Sở Ward, Hoàng Mai District, Hà Nội on Thursday.—VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hiếu

HÀ NỘI — Long queues of cars and trucks have appeared at motor vehicle registration centres in the capital city after a number were temporarily closed as part of a police investigation.

Eleven out of 31 motor vehicle registration centres have been shut down in Hà Nội.

The closure and subsequent overloading came after director of Việt Nam Register Đặng Việt Hà was detained by police in HCM City on Wednesday evening on charges of taking bribes.

Lê Bảo Châu, of Nam Từ Liêm District, said after arriving at a motor vehicle registration centre on Phạm Văn Đồng Street at 7am, he was still waiting at 4pm the same day. 

Châu said he didn't dare leave the line because he was afraid to miss his turn.

Nguyễn Hữu Huy, of Hà Đông District, said he arrived at the centre at 6.30am.

But there are a lot of vehicles queuing up at the centre, so he has to wait for a very long time, he said.

“It’s still not my turn at 3pm,” he said.

“But I have to wait because there is no way.”

His car registration will expire next week, he said.

On Wednesday midnight, hundreds of vehicles queued up in front of the gate of a motor vehicle registration centre in Đông Sơn Commune, Chương Mỹ District. The two lines of vehicles were about 300 metres in length.

Centres’ response

A representative of the motor vehicle registration centre on Phạm Văn Đồng Street said the centre can verify the quality of about 150 vehicles each day.

However, the number of vehicles that did not pass the verification accounts for nearly a third. With violations mainly involving substandard brakes, lights and tyres, he said.

He said the centre opens at 7am, but some people had started queuing at 4am.

Because of the high number of vehicles, the staff work very quickly to serve the people and lunch breaks have been reduced, he said.

A representative of a motor vehicle registration centre on Trần Vỹ Street said although the staff have to work overtime due to a large number of vehicles, just 100 vehicles can be inspected each day.

Moreover, the number of substandard vehicles told to go to a maintenance centre and then return for a second check has made the queues of vehicles longer, he said.

Trần Khánh Dương, head of the motor vehicle registration centre in Đông Sơn Commune, Chương Mỹ District, said the centre can only check around 120 vehicles daily.

Solutions

Vehicles at a vehicle registration centre in Yên Sở Ward, Hoàng Mai District, Hà Nội on Thursday.—VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hiếu

In response, Nguyễn Tô An, head of the Việt Nam Register, told Chính phủ (Government portal) online newspaper that people should carry out maintenance and repair of vehicles before going to centres to save time and reduce overloading.

He also encourages people, who are on business trips or return to their hometowns in other localities, to go to motor vehicle registration centres at home as a way to reduce overloading on Hà Nội-based centres.

Centres in Hà Nội are ordered to give priority to vehicles with registrations that are close to expiring, he said.

Việt Nam Register also provided specific instructions to motor vehicle registration centres about trivial defects and damage that did not affect technical safety and environmental protection so the centres could still issue a license of registration, he said.

The notice of trivial defects and damage is required to be published at the centres for vehicle owners to check, he said.

Vehicle owners with items on the published list can contact the official hotline of the agency 0243.768.4706 if they still failed to receive licenses, he said.

The agency will strictly handle cases in which centres intentionally cause difficulties for people and businesses during the verification process, he said.

In a related move, the city’s Transport Department has sent a document to order relevant agencies to ensure verification activities of vehicles in the city.

Under the direction of deputy director of the transport department Đào Việt Long, motor vehicle registration centres have to proactively arrange staff to work overtime (including holidays) to meet the needs of vehicle registration, as well as ensure the quality of vehicle registration as prescribed. The centres also need to encourage officers and employees to overcome difficulties to better serve people and businesses.

The centres should promptly report difficulties and problems to the Việt Nam Register and the department, he said.

Inspectors of the transport department are assigned to strengthen supervision of the activities of the motor vehicle registration centres in the city, he said.

The Việt Nam Register has also announced a list of 11 registration centres that are temporarily closed in Hà Nội. — VNS