HCM City (VNA) - The HCM City Department of Transport has askedfor approval from the Ministry of Transport to use English on street signs toserve foreign tourists.
Since streets are named after people, mostly Vietnamese individuals, the onlyword to be changed on the sign will be “duong”, which means street.
Samples of English street signs are at the department for the public to view.
Nguyen Vinh Ninh, head of the department’s division for urban trafficmanagement No 1, said the department had assigned the division to collectopinions about the signs’ design and locations from residents, experts andforeign tourists.
Under the country’s technical standards, there are no regulations about the useof foreign language on street signs.
Tran Doan Phi Anh, former head of the Southern Transportation Development andResearch Centre, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that large citiessuch as HCM City, Hanoi and Da Nang have attracted a large number of foreigntourists and English signs would be helpful.
He said that city authorities should pilot the installation of bilingualtraffic signs on the city’s main streets and collect feedback from residentsand foreigners.
Le Minh Triet, head of the Saigon River Tunnel Management Centre, told thelocal media that the centre would put up signs initially on Vo Van Kiet, Ky Conand Nguyen Thai Hoc streets in District 1 this month, and later on highways andstreets near Tan Son Nhat International Airport.-VNA