Plan to upgrade national bus transportation network

The plan to develop a fixed route network for inter-provincial transportation with no unscheduled stops and pickup of passengers will increase travel comfort as well as safety, experts and officials say.
The plan to develop a fixed route network for inter-provincialtransportation with no unscheduled stops and pickup of passengers willincrease travel comfort as well as safety, experts and officials say.

Participantsat a conference held in Da Nang recently also agreed that developingsuch a network would considerably facilitate management of publictransportation, including the licensing of routes and route operators.

Theysaid it would ensure greater transparency and equality, as also nudgeenterprises offering transportation services towards efficientoperations.

According to the Transport Strategy and DevelopmentInstitute under the Ministry of Transport, the country has around 563bus terminals catering to inter-province passenger transportation onfixed routes. Of these, 475 are authorised, and 88 aren't.

Theinstitute also reports that the establishment and management of busstations in many localities has not been well planned, causingdifficulties for residents.

There are too many bus terminals inprovinces like Lam Dong and Nghe An, it reports. While most of the busterminals in big cities are overloaded, over 90 have a lot of idlecapacity. This has happened because licenses for certain routes have notbeen issued based on the terminal's capacity, the institute reported.

Conference participants made several comments on the transport ministry's draft plan.

PhanXuan Vien, Director of Duc Long Bus Station in Da Nang city, suggestedthat localities should be able to set up bus terminals serving aspecific region. He argued that if all terminals served trans-nationalroutes, finding investors would be difficult.

Vo Van Tuoi, DeputyDirector of Thua Thien-Hue Transport Department, said localities withplans to build bus terminals should divide routes among themselves toensure overall efficiency of the network.

Several shortcomings in the plan were also highlighted at the conference.

HoangPhu Hien, Deputy Director of the Nghe An provincial TransportDepartment, said requiring relevant agencies at both departure andarrival points to propose the operation of a route was not reasonable,because localities were not often aware of each other's transportationdevelopment plans.

Deputy Transport Minister Le Dinh Tho said the plan fixed routes could be adjusted if problems rose during implementation.

He said transport departments nationwide should submit their comments and proposals on the draft plan by June 15.

Itis estimated that Vietnam will have around 3,715 fixed inter-provincialpassenger transportation routes by 2020, a 6.2 percent increase overcurrent levels.-VNA

See more

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

ASEAN’s goods, culinary culture promoted in Europe

The ASEAN Committee in Prague (ACP) launched an "ASEAN Food Corner" on October 22, aiming to promote the culinary culture and introduce goods from ASEAN countries to consumers in the Czech Republic and Europe at large.

If the plan is approved, public employees will enjoy a continuous 9-day Tet break from January 25 to February 2 next year. (Photo: VNA)

2025 Lunar New Year holiday plan submitted to PM

The Ministry of Labour – Invalids and Social Affairs on October 22 submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister regarding the schedule for the 2025 Lunar New Year (Tet) – Vietnam’s largest traditional celebration – and other national holidays.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Kien Giang continues to take firm stand against IUU fishing

The Standing Board of the Party Committee of southern Kien Giang province has called for strengthening the Party's leadership in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, part of a broader national effort to have the “yellow card” warning lifted by the European Commission (EC).

Yen Bai city in the northern province of Yen Bai is severely affected by Typhoon Yagi. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam receives EU’s humanitarian aid for Typhoon Yagi victims

The Vietnam Red Cross Society (VNRC) Central Committee has received humanitarian response and early recovery support from the European Union and its member states through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)' Emergency Appeal to assist the Vietnamese people affected by Typhoon Yagi and its subsequent floodings.

Conscripted Vietnamese workers honoured with ceremony in France (Photo: VNA)

Conscripted Vietnamese workers honoured with ceremony in France

A solemn ceremony was held on October 20 in the southern city of Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône prefecture of France, to mark the 10th anniversary of the memorial dedicated to Indochinese workers who came to work in the Camargue region during World War II.

At the signing ceremony of a cooperation agreement between Bac Lieu and Uiseong county, Gyeongsangbuk-do province on sending local labourers to the RoK to work seasonally under the form of locality-to-locality collaboration between the two countries in the 2023 - 2027 period. (Photo: VNA)

Bac Lieu, Korean locality sign labour cooperation agreement

The Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu on October 21 signed a cooperation agreement with Uiseong county, Gyeongsangbuk-do province of the Republic of Korea (RoK) on sending local labourers to the RoK to work seasonally under the form of locality-to-locality collaboration between the two countries in the 2023 - 2027 period.

(Photo: VNA)

Tien Giang strives to reduce poverty rate to 0.87% this year

The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Committees at all levels in the southern province of Tien Giang have collaborated with agencies and organisations to speed up social security programmes, aiming to reduce the province's poverty rate to 0.87% this year, said Vice President of the provincial VFF Committee Huynh Van Hai.

The Chinese sailor is rushed to FV (Franco-Vietnamese) Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for treatment as soon as he is brought to the shore. (Photo: VNA)

Chinese sick sailor on vessel AMIS STAR provided with first aid

A ship from the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (VMRCC) on October 20 provided first aid to critically-ill Chinese sailor on a Liberia-flagged vessel off the coast of the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau before bringing him to the shore for further treatment.

At the meeting between Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vu Chien Thang and UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam respects right to freedom of belief, religion: official

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vu Chien Thang highlighted Vietnam’s consistent policy of respecting and protecting the right to freedom of belief and religion for all people, while meeting with UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif in his recent trip to Switzerland.