Transport minister clears up transport infrastructure, vehicle registration questions

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang cleared up queries regarding transport infrastructure and the registration of road vehicles and inland waterway vessels, at a question-and-answer session of the 15th National Assembly’s fifth session in Hanoi on June 7.
Illustrative image (Source: VNA)
Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

The ministry is working hard to materialise the Party’s and the State’s guidelines and strategies on transport infrastructure development to effectively contribute to socio-economic development, ensuring national defence and security, and enhancing international integration, Thang said.

The sector’s disbursement of public investment fulfilled more than 96.5% of the plan in 2022, and more than 30% of the target in the first five months of this year, according to the official.

Mentioning the implementation of projects, especially key ones, he said the progress has been ensured, adding 566 kilometres of expressways have been put into service since the beginning of the tenure, raising the total operational expressways to 1,729 kilometres.

The construction of expressway projects included in the socio-economic recovery and development plan is also expected to begin this month as scheduled, he stressed.

The minister briefed the legislators on the sector’s performance in institutional perfection, administrative reform, e-government building and digital transformation, which have reaped positive achievements over the past time.

Thang, however, pointed to limitations like the high number of traffic accidents, and wrongdoings in vehicle registration, which have triggered public concern.

Responding to a question on the proposals of some provinces to expand seriously -downgraded national highways, using the lobal budget, the minister said the Government and the Prime Minister have proposed the NA Standing Committee issue a resolution in this regard.

The matter has also been included in the reviewed Law on Road Traffic, the minister noted.

Asked about the Yen Vien-Cai Lan railway project, which has been launched since 2005 and has been suspended since 2011, Thang said the Politburo has requested that the railway must be implemented before 2030.

The transport ministry and other relevant ministries and agencies will give consultations to the PM in capital allocation for the project, he said.

Regarding vehicle registration centres, Thang emphasised that they will resume operations no later than the end of this month, and that the transport ministry will propose the PM adjust the registration process in the time ahead.

To help the centres resume their normal operations, it is necessary to review the financial mechanism, continue with personnel training and recruitment, and step up IT applications in the registration work, he said.

VNA