The completion of many sections of the Ho Chi Minh Highway has done little to ease the traffic on National Highway 1, which remains chaotic.

Nguyen Van Thanh, deputy head of Viet Nam Road Administration, conceded to Vietnam News Agency that currently, the number of vehicles using Ho Chi Minh Highway is lower than was expected.

Thanh attributed the fact to modest publicity of the highway, as a result of which drivers are unaware of their new routes, a situation exacerbated by a lack of supporting services along the new highway.

Thanh said that although more drivers have recently begun to use the new highway, thanks to its good road surface and its less traffic, many complained about the lack of petrol stations, guest houses, and eating places along the route.

"Irrespective of how good the road quality is, people will not find it comfortable to use if it does not have supporting services." Thanh said. ministry is co-ordinating with relevant ministries and industries to expedite necessary tasks for the earliest operation of the highway.

So far Ho Chi Minh Highway's project management unit has handed over more than 1,200 km of completed roads to the Viet Nam Road Administration. This office has certified the quality and safety of the roads.

Currently, drivers on Ho Chi Minh Highway are not charged any fee.

The project of modernizing the war-time famous Ho Chi Minh Trail originally started in the late 1970s but fell through for several reasons. It was restarted in 1995 but the North -South highway project faced the financial crisis in Asia.

In 1999, the Government decided to invest in the Ho Chi Minh Highway after flooding in the central region wrecked the road networks and railway systems.

The Ho Chi Minh Highway was expected to create a much needed transport axis and reduce traffic on National Highway 1.

Source: Vietnam News