VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam’s two biggest cities, Ha Noi and HCM City, severely lack parking spaces for cars, the Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported.

A multi-storey parking lot in Ha Noi. Viet Nam’s two biggest cities are severely lacking in car parking spaces. — Photo: VNS

The images of cars parking illegally in streets and on pavement are popular in the two cities.

According to transport experts, the capital city of Ha Noi is facing a serious lack of parking lots, as personal motorbikes and cars have been increasing considerably year by year. 

On a 5-km section from Trang Thi Street to Dien Bien Phu Street which accommodates many office buildings, hospitals and shops, there is no parking lot, the paper said.

The similar situation occurs in long and busy streets of Ba Trieu, Tran Khat Chan, Hue and Hang Bai.

The parking lot shortage has caused many inconveniences for people.

“Whenever I go for appointments in a bank in Ba Trieu Street, it takes hours to find parking space,” said Tran Cong Bay, a director of a private company.

“Within a radius of one kilometre, I couldn’t find any parking lot. Many times I stopped my car 1.5km away from the bank and took a taxi there,” Bay said.

Taking advantage of the situation, many illegal parking lots have been set up with high fees.

The parking lot in a street near Hoan Kiem Lake is an example. The car owners have to pay a fee of VND50,000 (US$2.2) per two hours from Monday to Friday, and VND70,000 or VND100,000 for weekends and holidays. 

The fee is much higher than the city’s regulation of VND30,000 per two hours.

According to colonel Nguyen Xuan Dinh from the Ha Noi Police, at present, the city has total 939 parking areas, 687 of which are on pavement and 245 ones are on the street.

Notably, 244 parking areas are illegal, the colonel said.

In HCM City, along the streets of Le Duan, Le Lai, Nguyen Thi Nghia in districts 1 and 3, everyday cars make long queue for parking. Meanwhile, in small streets like Bui Thi Xuan, Truong Dinh, Suong Nguyet Anh and Ly Tu Trong, a part of the streets were used as paid-parking lots which cause traffic congestion in rush hours.

In the busiest districts 1 and 3, there is only one parking lot owned by Samco Company, which contains a capacity of 500 cars and 3,900 motorbikes.

In fact, the streets and pavement are packed with parked vehicles while there are lots of room in the underground parking lots of many high-rise buildings.

One of the reasons drivers prefer parking in streets than in underground parking lots in high-rise buildings is lower fees.

In the streets of Mac Thi Buoi and Ngo Duc Ke of District 1, the parking fee is only VND5,000 while fees in underground parking lots range from VND10,000 to 40,000 per three hours, and VND200,000 for overnight keeping fee.

Besides, parking in streets is more convenient than in basements of buildings.

Nguyen Thanh Vinh, a driver, said “I always choose to park my car in the street because it is convenient.”

“Driving in and out from buildings basements takes time, and parking your car there is quite costly,” he said.

Nguyen Quang Minh, a coach driver, said he prefers parking in street because the fee was cheap and easy to catch passengers.

In fact, it is difficult to find parking spaces in central areas but in outskirts many parking areas could not be used at full capacity.

According to Tang Thi Thu Ly, Samco’s deputy general director, the company’s five-storey parking area in District 1 has been operating at full capacity of 450 lots with monthly fee of VND2 million.

A five-storey parking building in Tan Phu District--with investment capital of VND5 trillion--has 1,500 lots with keeping fee of VND1.3 million per month but so far it has just used 30-40 per cent of capacity.

Nguyen Van Tien, the parking building’s owner, said that “the reason of lacking clients was that many residents around the building setting up parking areas and offering lower keeping fees”.

In central areas of the two cities, demand for car parking has become more and more intense, as the campaign to clear pavements for pedestrians are hitting a peak.

In HCM City, the municipal authority has appealed businesses to build eight underground parking areas in the District 1 for last 12 years.

Until now, though no project has been undertaken.

In 2005, the Government agreed with the HCM City’s proposal of building an underground parking area in Le Van Tam Park.

But so far, the project remains on paper and out of reality, because the investor continues to consider refund ability.

In Ha Noi, the situation is the same.

Among hundreds of car keeping service companies, MTV is the biggest company owing 200 areas with 10,000 lots for cars and motorbikes.

However, the parking lots are far from the increasing demand.

Recently, the municipal authority has agreed to build underground parking spaces in Thong Nhat Park, Nhan Chinh Park and Quan Ngua Stadium, Cach Mang Thang 8 Square, and Co Tan Park.

However, no authorities have set a time line to carry out the plan. 

VNS