MoT Minister Dinh La Thang told the press in Hanoi on October 5 that the ministry will gather opinions from experts, media workers and residents and finalise the plan before submitting it to the PM.

Serious traffic congestion has occurred in big cities, including Hanoi and HCM City, following a rapid increase in the number of individual vehicles. Several experts have proposed that private transport be banned on major roads during peak hours in Hanoi and HCM City.

Minister Thang said that the MoT is launching a campaign which encourages transport officials and workers to take public buses to work at least one day a week.

According to the minister, the MoT will host more workshops to gather public opinions aimed at improving bus services.

Mr Thang also admitted that despite a fall in traffic accidents in the past nine months, there has been an increase in the number of serious road cases. 

Besides raising public awareness of traffic laws, heavy fines will be handed down to law breakers, including on-duty officials.