VietNamNet Bridge – Some people can earn a million dong a day from helping drivers during traffic jams in HCM City, Vietnam’s largest city.

Kha Van Can Road.

Traffic jams have been occurring during rush hours on Kha Van Can road n Thu Duc District. To avoid congestion, many people turn on to Pham Van Dong Road, an eight-lane road (which runs parallel with Kha Van Can) but has yet to open to traffic as it is still being built.

However, Pham Van Dong road is blocked at one location. As the drivers do not want to go back to the site of traffic jams, people have to carry their vehicles through the separation fence to go to Thu Duc Market.

A number of local residents realize this as a chance to earn money. They set up steel platforms to help drivers cross the separation fence and collect a fee of VND2,000 ($0.01). A witness said within only 15 minutes, the platform served at least 30 vehicles and the service provider earned VND60,000 ($3). There are three platforms on a section about 400 m long.

The special service on Pham Van Dong Road.

A local resident said he could earn over VND1 million ($50) a day from a platform. More platforms have been set up and competition has become fierce.

An officer with the HCM City Department of Transport said the new Pham Van Dong road would open in October to ease traffic jams on Kha Van Can Road. He added that the authorities would stop the “platform service”.

Ly Thu