What is the cause of traffic jams in Ho Chi Minh City in recent days?

On the afternoon of January 16, at a press conference providing information on the economic and social situation in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Loi, Deputy Head of the Traffic Safety Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, informed about traffic jams at the end of the year.

According to Mr. Loi, after applying Decree 168/2024, the traffic order and safety situation in Ho Chi Minh City has changed positively, people's road awareness has been improved. In particular, traffic violations such as driving on the sidewalk, running red lights, not obeying traffic signals... have decreased significantly. The number of traffic accidents has also decreased significantly.

Traffic jams in Ho Chi Minh City have increased recently.

However, traffic congestion and jams also frequently occur on key routes at almost all times.

A reality that occurs when Decree 168 is applied is that people do not walk on sidewalks, leading to crowded roads.

To properly assess the cause of traffic jams in recent days, Mr. Loi said that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has directed local departments, agencies and branches to survey and make a comprehensive assessment. From there, it was determined that due to the end of the year, the demand for travel and transporting goods increased, the number of vehicles on the road increased; in addition, people's compliance with traffic laws was more serious, people did not walk on the sidewalk, so the flow of vehicles on the road would be more.

Long line of cars on Dinh Bo Linh street, Binh Thanh district.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has about 10 million private vehicles, while the traffic infrastructure is not sufficient; the city has a large number of vehicles from other localities coming to and passing through Ho Chi Minh City and traffic control techniques at some points are still faulty... these are the reasons why traveling is difficult.

Mr. Loi said that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has directed the unit to immediately apply measures to remove obstacles when necessary, creating favorable conditions for people to comply with regulations while traveling but still be convenient.

Recently, Ho Chi Minh City has reviewed and identified 534 intersections that need to install traffic lights and right-turn lights. The transport sector has also proposed installing more than 1,900 lights, about 3 lights per intersection. Currently, 80 lights have been installed at 38 intersections and will continue to be installed in the near future.

The Department of Transportation installed an additional sign allowing right turns on red lights.

In addition, the city will also mobilize more youth volunteers and youth union members to coordinate traffic control. Localities will also review alleys that can help clear the main roads.

In particular, according to Mr. Loi, when receiving people's feedback on traffic violations, the functional unit will verify and classify whether this is a real violation or just a case of reminding responsibility. The units will handle it flexibly, not mechanically.

Mr. Do Ngoc Hai, Head of the Department of Construction Maintenance and Operation Management (Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport) shared that the number of vehicles traveling since the beginning of 2025 has increased by more than 11% in the city center.

This shows that people's travel needs are very high during the Tet holiday. Recently, the city has organized many festivals, so traffic must be divided.

Mr. Hai assessed that some opinions that the current traffic congestion is mainly due to people complying with Decree 168 are incorrect. Because this Decree has helped the city achieve many positive results, the order situation is better, and people violate less.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/nguyen-nhan-tinh-trang-ket-xe-o-tphcm-nhung-ngay-qua-19225011617152468.htm