Two coaches lying in front of the toll station on the Hanoi – Hai Phong Expressway stalling other vehicles, was a hostile act planned by the drivers, an official said.

The incident occurred at 6pm on Wednesday at the last toll station on the Hanoi – Hai Phong Expressway when two 45-seater coaches travelling on the Hai Phong – Yen Nghaa (Hanoi) route suddenly stopped and blocked the toll station.

The drivers of the coaches working for Gia Bao Linh transport enterprise then locked their vehicles, causing traffic congestion in the area.

Dao Van Chien, president of board of directors of Vietnam Infrastructure Development and Finance Investment JSC (VIDIFI) told online newspaper baochinhphu.vn that this enterprise had threatened employees at the toll station several days earlier.

“The drivers chose the rush hour to block the toll station. At that time, there were no passengers on the coaches. Hai Phong authorities had to send 50 policemen to the site to deal with the incident,” he said.

Asked if this act was meant to oppose the fee increase of the VIDIFI, Chien said the 25 per cent increase in toll from April 1 had been approved by the authorities.

“The increase in the fee was widely announced on mass media, so vehicles had the option of using the expressway or the National Highway 5,” he said.

The behaviour of the drivers was hostile because the fee increase had been announced earlier, Nguyễn Hồng Trường, deputy minister of transport, said.

The Hanoi-Hai Phong Expressway was built with an investment of VND45 trillion (US$2 billion). The fee for standard vehicles is VND2,000 (about US9 cents) per km and has been approved by the authorities.

The Hai Phong police seized the two coaches for further investigations and will initiate strict action for such behaviour that affected transport safety and security, an official told the Giao Thong (Transport) newspaper.

VNS