Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Le Van Khoa has said school and office working hours need to be adjusted to tackle the severe congestion.

The Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs was asked to work with the Department of Transport, the Department of Education and other agencies to carry out the plan. The project must be submitted for approval after the Tet holiday.

Khoa said changing the working hours would affect people, but this was an obvious solution. There are many countries that have changed their time frameworks and the results have been positive.

"While on business trip overseas, I noticed that office workers start late and go home late while employees at factories start their days early and go home early. Going late by just one hour already helped ease congestion," he said.

Khoa went on to say that he knew some parents said it was troublesome because they had to pick up their kids. However, if they only discuss negative sides then the plan would never be implemented.

The city isn't going to implement the plan en mass. The plan will be carried out carefully depending on local situations. He said, "University students often stay up late to study so their hours can start later than primary students."

Dtinews