Viet Nam News  

HÀ NỘI -- An influx of people returned to big cities, particularly Hà Nội and HCM City, after enjoying the four-day holiday for the Reunification and Labour Day celebrations, causing some traffic congestion along cities’ entrance routes.

The National Highway 1, which runs from north to south, experienced the most serious traffic jams at its Pháp Vân-Cầu Gĩe crossroads heading towards Hà Nội yesterday, when traffic peaked.

Travellers, most of whom were office workers or children visiting their families in different provinces, tried to reach the city on time to begin their working day today, and many were forced to scramble to find an available city-bound bus.

The bus stations of Mỹ Đình and Giáp Bát in Hà Nội yesterday were chaotic due to thousands of passengers arriving at the same time in the afternoon.

People stuffed into coaches were exhausted after travelling a long journey in the hot weather.

In addition, travellers also started their return to HCM City, but few traffic jams were reported except for some traffic violations.

Despite the slow and crowded transport, vehicles moved easily through Cộng Hòa and Nguyễn Văn Trỗi, which were the hot spots for traffic jams during the last Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Traffic accidents decrease

About 105 traffic accidents occurred in the first three days of the holiday, claiming a total of 74 lives and injuring 103 others, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee.

Despite the high number of casualties caused by traffic accidents, the figures represented a significant decrease from the same period last year, the committee said.

On Monday alone - the third day of the four-day holiday - a total of 60 traffic accidents were reported across the country, claiming 41 lives and leaving 50 injured, according to the Traffic Police Administration under the Ministry of Public Security.

One of the most severe accidents occurred on Monday on the Hồ Chí Minh National Highway in Đắk Mil District, Đắk Nông Province, which claimed at least three lives and injured 20 others.

The accident occurred after a passenger coach collided with a truck that had been driving at a high speed in the opposite direction. The accident caused traffic congestion that lasted for several hours.

Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee Trương Hòa Bình ordered the Đắk Nông Province traffic police and authorities to immediately investigate the case and issue strict punishment to the violator.

The Deputy Prime Minister yesterday also asked the Ministry of Police, the Ministry of Transport and the traffic safety committees of provinces and cities to take measures to ensure smooth traffic flow in the coming days.

The traffic police have also been asked to ensure order to avoid congestion in the cities before people return to work, especially in Hà Nội and HCM City. — VNS