Even by Saigon's extremely specific definition, motorists traveling the Hanoi Highway yesterday morning officially experienced a traffic jam.
Beginning as early as 4am, traffic between Dong Nai and Saigon was at a standstill, reports Zing. The blockage ran for over three kilometers along Hanoi Highway from the Thu Duc junction to Tay Hoa Street and is believed to have been caused by transport truck congestion near Phuoc Long Port as well as the nearby Transimex cargo handling center. Another traffic jam between Cat Lai Port and District 2's Mai Chi Tho Street made matters worse, rendering roads in much of the area unusable.
Around 9am, recognizing the horrendous traffic on Hanoi Highway, frustrated motorists began to opt for Nguyen Van Ba, a parallel side street, however that soon became clogged, too. In the end, many drivers simply gave up and abandoned their vehicles to have a roadside beverage, while long-haul truckers saw the unending traffic jam as an opportunity for a nap.
Though police arrived on the scene to help ease the congestion, traffic moved at a snail's pace until almost noon. Following that, vehicles began to travel more freely, though the road remained busy.
The director of Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Transport, who questions the very existence of Saigon traffic jams, was no doubt scratching his head in the wake of the incident, however with 900 new vehicles registered in the city everyday, it's hard not to imagine this becoming the new reality of Saigon traffic.
[Photos via Zing]
