Directive No. 22/2001/CT-BGTVT of the Minister of Transport on organizing transportation to serve the Nhâm Ngọ Tet holiday (2002)

Circulars
of the Minister of Transport
Regarding the organization of transportation to serve the Year of the Horse Tet (2002)

Annually, during the traditional Lunar New Year festival, the demand for cargo and passenger transport serving the people increases sharply. To meet this demand and ensure safety and convenience for the people's travel during the Tet holiday, the Minister of Transport requests:

- The Director of the Vietnam Inland Waterway Administration,

- The Director of the Vietnam Maritime Administration,

- The Director of the Vietnam Vehicle Inspection Administration,

- The General Director of the Vietnam Railway Corporation,

- The Directors of the Departments of Transport and Public Works,

- The General Directors of the State-owned Enterprises and the Directors of the Companies responsible for managing and repairing transportation infrastructure, and the Companies engaged in passenger and cargo transportation nationwide, with their respective responsibilities and authorities, to implement the following tasks effectively:

1- Conduct inspections on transportation infrastructure along national roads, inland waterways, railways, and maritime routes to identify and promptly prevent violations of traffic safety zones and traffic order. Particularly, actions that threaten transportation safety must be addressed and resolved immediately. Pay special attention to the quality of transportation vehicles and infrastructure damaged during the rainy season and recently restored, as well as weak bridges on national roads.

Supplement sufficient traffic signs according to regulations on national roads and inland waterways, especially those with high traffic volume, newly renovated or constructed sections, and inland waterways with high-speed vessels operating.

2- Locations frequently involved in traffic accidents need to have preventive measures, including plans to prevent and resolve incidents. Specific measures should be taken to avoid traffic congestion at major intersections in large cities, particularly in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. On national roads, pay particular attention to areas with dangerous mountain passes, locations identified as "black spots," and sections with high traffic volume. On inland waterways, focus on sections with numerous ferry crossings and high vessel traffic. On railways, pay attention to areas densely populated near railway tracks and places where pedestrian crossings intersect.

3- Transportation vehicles must undergo strict inspection to ensure they meet all technical safety standards. Strictly prohibit vehicle owners from operating vehicles that do not meet safety standards.

4- Passenger terminals, bus stations, railway stations, and ferry terminals must be organized and maintained properly to facilitate passengers waiting, purchasing tickets conveniently, and ensuring that passengers do not wait past midnight at these facilities. Coordinate with relevant forces to maintain public order and security, prevent and strictly handle illegal activities such as unauthorized passenger terminals, roundabout buses picking up passengers, and selling passengers along the route. Prohibit arbitrary price hikes for passenger fares and freight rates during the Tet holiday.

5- All units responsible for managing and operating transportation must review the quantity and quality of transportation vehicles, drivers, service personnel, and transportation organizations as follows:

a/ The Vietnam Railway Corporation should double the number of trains and reasonably schedule train times on the North-South route, the Hanoi-Lao Cai route, and the Hanoi-Lang Son route.

b/ The Vietnam Road Administration and the Departments of Transport and Public Works should concentrate on organizing passenger transport on routes with high passenger traffic, particularly those connecting city centers to provinces and provincial-to-provincial routes. Develop specific plans to address shortages of transportation capacity in a timely manner. Bus and train terminals should plan to allocate transportation vehicles for registered participation in the Tet holiday service. If localities lack sufficient vehicles to operate on their managed routes, arrange for vehicles from other localities to participate in passenger transport on those routes. Any unregistered vehicles operating independently and causing chaos on the route must be dealt with strictly according to current regulations. At the same time, direct traffic inspectors to cooperate closely with traffic police and urban traffic order police to inspect bus and ferry terminals, detect, and strictly handle cases of overloaded vehicles, competing for passengers, forcing prices, not entering terminals to pick up passengers, and selling passengers during the transportation process.

6- The Vietnam Inland Waterway Administration and the Departments of Transport and Public Works should organize services for passenger transport on inland waterway routes using regular and high-speed passenger vessels at key points such as Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Ca Mau, Chau Doc, Kien Giang, and other key points, ensuring order and safety, and firmly prohibiting the operation of vessels without adequate safety conditions.

7- The Ministry of Transport requests the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Defense, and the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities, and other relevant ministries and sectors within their respective powers and responsibilities, to coordinate or direct subordinate agencies to closely cooperate with the transportation sector to ensure smooth transportation of passengers and goods to serve the people during the Tet holiday.

Require the heads of related agencies and units to urgently implement and organize the execution of this Directive. Report any difficulties encountered during implementation to the Ministry of Transport in a timely manner for consideration and resolution./.