A helicopter route has been opened in Ho Chi Minh City for emergencies such as rescues, ambulance services, or disasters.

Illustrative image

Initially, a helicopter will be available at the top of a 36-story building on Nguyen Hue, under the management of the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation.

One of the ten tallest in Vietnam, the building is the city’s only private premises granted permission by the Ministry of Defense to operate air ambulances. 

Conventional ambulances are often unable to respond quickly to accidents in the city, where congestion is rife.

Vietnam has made efforts address congestion by imposing fines of VND500,000-1.2 million ($22-53) on drivers who refuse to make way for emergency vehicles. 

But the law is rarely enforced and many argue that during traffic jams there is simply no space to give way to ambulances.

Various solutions have been suggested, such as using ambulance motorbikes or having traffic police accompany ambulances to clear a route.

VN Economic Times