Transport Minister Nguyen Van The said that he is unsatisfied with most roads in Vietnam he has travelled on. He urged a quick upgrade of roads which have deteriorated. At the review meeting of the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam on January 2, the minister said that the Vietnamese transport sector was estimated to need around VND23 trillion (USD1.05 billion) on road maintenance in 2017, meanwhile, the Road Maintenance Fund had roughly VND10 trillion (USD454.5 million). Transport Minister Nguyen Van The speaks at the meeting Up to around 2,300 kilometres of roads out of the total 23,000 kilometres have to be upgraded per year. However, due to the limited budget, the road system has become more seriously deteriorated. The government needs to make a careful consideration between the construction of new roads and the upgrade of deteriorated roads. In many cases, spending on building a new road could be more wasteful but less useful than pouring the much smaller … [Read more...] about Transport Minister admits to poor road quality
Transport
Transport ministry needs to focus on BOT, traffic safety
Several drivers stopped their cars, forcing Ninh An BOT toll booths in Khanh Hoa province to open their gates on January 2. (Photo dantri.com.vn)Hanoi (VNA) -The Ministry of Transport needs to come up with a plan to solve all problemsrelated to BOT (build-operate-transfer) road toll stations nationwide thisyear, while issues of overloaded trucks and traffic safety are also in need ofurgent attention.Minister of TransportNguyen Van The made the statement at a conference held on January 2 to reviewingthe implementation of activities in 2017 and setting out this year’s tasks atthe Vietnam Directorate for Roads.The said that the issues atBOT tollgates have become more complicated following protests by drivers. Thus,the ministry and relevant authorities need to seek solutions in order tobalance the interests of the State, investors androad users.He suggested that theapplication of automatic fee collection would help solve the problem and … [Read more...] about Transport ministry needs to focus on BOT, traffic safety
Transport ministry needs focus on BOT, traffic safety this year
HÀ NỘI – The Ministry of Transport needs to come up with a plan to solve all problems related to BOT (build-operate-transfer) road toll stations nationwide this year. Issues of overloaded trucks and traffic safety are also in need of urgent attention. Minister of Transport Nguyễn Văn Thể made the statement at a conference reviewing the implementation of activities in 2017 and setting out this year’s tasks at the Việt Nam Directorate for Roads held on Tuesday. Thể said that the issues at BOT tollgates have become more complicated following protests by drivers. Thus, the ministry and relevant authorities need to seek solutions in order to balance the interests of the State, investors and road users. He suggested that the application of automatic fee collections would help solve the problem and also ensure fairness in monitoring the collection of fees. In addition, the settlement of the BOT projects would also need … [Read more...] about Transport ministry needs focus on BOT, traffic safety this year
Vietnam transport ministry shelves plan to build airport in Mekong Delta province
Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport has put on ice a proposal by the Mekong Delta province of An Giang to call for investment in a local airport project, citing low demand.In a letter sent to An Giang’s administration, the transport ministry explained that it was “not the right time” for such an investment, though leaving the door open for a future plan if demand should call.The proposed An Giang airport was envisioned to be a domestic terminal in Can Dang Commune, Chau Thanh District, whose planning was approved in 2011 following a decision by the transport ministry.According to the planning, the mixed-use airport would cover 235 hectares upon completion, including 169.59 hectares for dual use, 34.2 hectares for civil utilization, and 31.25 hectares for military purposes.It would have cost over VND3.4 trillion (US$150.53 million), with the completion date set for 2030.However, the project was immediately faced with a backlash from the local media and public, who … [Read more...] about Vietnam transport ministry shelves plan to build airport in Mekong Delta province
Noi Bai airport customs officers uncover ivory tusk product transport
Illegal shipment of ivory intercepted by customs (Illustrative image. Source VNA)Hanoi(VNA) – Customs officers at Noi Bai International Airport on January 2 reportedthat they have uncovered a case of transporting African ivory tusks and Africanivory tusk products from Hanoi to Thailand. They said customsscanning on December 31, 2017 found goods that may have been from ivory tusks weighingaround 3 kilogrammes from a passenger to be on board flight SL 181 of ThaiLionAir from Noi Bai to Bangkok, Thailand.They seized these commodities and sent samples of the goods to the Institute ofEcology and Biological Resources for tests. The tests confirmed that fourpieces of these goods are African ivory and others were made from African ivory.The case is underfurther investigation.Trading, storing and transporting ivory is forbidden in Vietnam. Violators canbe fined from 5-50 million VND or imprisoned from six months to five years.In August 2017, a “Say No to Ivory” … [Read more...] about Noi Bai airport customs officers uncover ivory tusk product transport