The Nam Vinh Bus Station needs to be put into operation urgently.

Important project

The Vinh South Bus Station, along with the Vinh North Bus Station, is one of the important projects aimed at contributing to traffic diversion, helping to reduce transportation pressure in the city center, especially for fixed passenger transport routes departing from Vinh to provinces in the North and South. However, while the Vinh North Bus Station was completed and put into operation in 2018,Nam Vinh Bus StationAlthough essentially completed, it cannot yet be put into operation because the connection to National Highway 1, the Vinh bypass, is not yet finished.

According to our research, Nam Vinh Bus Station was built as a Class 1 bus station, with a construction area of ​​100,000 square meters.²With a capacity of 500 departures per day and 15,000 passengers, the project had a total investment of 250 billion VND. The implementation period was initially announced as starting in May 2009 and expected to be completed in July 2011. However, construction of the Nam Vinh Bus Station, covering an area of ​​46,200m², only began in 2020.²Of which, phase 1 involves the construction of a bus station with an area of ​​19,000m².²With a total investment of 32 billion VND, the bus station had completed all its construction items by March 2023 and was ready to operate from mid-2023.

It is understood that the construction of Vinh North Bus Station and Vinh South Bus Station aims to implement the bus station planning and route the flow of inter-provincial and intra-provincial passenger buses, contributing to reducing traffic congestion in the central area of ​​Vinh city. In accordance with Decision No. 25/2011/QD-UBND dated May 30, 2011, on the promulgation of the plan for the passenger bus station system in Nghe An province until 2020, some bus stations that are no longer compatible with the transportation system plan have been relocated.

When the Nam Vinh Bus Station was essentially completed in March 2023, on April 30, 2023, following the directive of the Provincial People's Committee, passenger transport operations at Vinh Market Bus Station also ceased. All fixed passenger transport routes (including inter-provincial and intra-provincial routes) operating at Vinh Market Bus Station were transferred to operate at bus stations located in the outskirts of Vinh City and Hung Nguyen District, including Nam Vinh Bus Station.

Ensure traffic flow management.

It is evident that the Vinh South Bus Station project is very important. Upon completion and commissioning, it will contribute to reducing the pressure of the increasing number of transport vehicles at bus stations such as Vinh North Bus Station and Vinh Market Bus Station; ensuring the synchronous connection of the transportation system, limiting the number of transport vehicles participating in traffic in the inner city of Vinh, and facilitating transport vehicles from the southern region to Vinh city.

However, in reality, the requirement to cease passenger transport operations before the Vinh South Bus Station officially opened caught many passenger transport businesses operating at Vinh Market Bus Station off guard. In fact, before passenger transport operations at Vinh Market Bus Station had to stop, there were 18 passenger transport routes, with over 100 vehicles, departing from this station to districts within the province and to southern provinces such as Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Thua Thien Hue… Most of these businesses chose Vinh Market Bus Station as their departure and arrival point primarily to serve the needs of transporting goods and passengers from Vinh Market – one of the largest goods hubs in Nghe An.

Mr. Le Van Khuyen, Head of Vinh Market Bus Station, said that currently, following the directive of the Provincial People's Committee, passenger transport vehicles are no longer operating at this bus station. However, the station has received many complaints from transport companies stating that the premature cessation of passenger transport, before the Vinh South Bus Station completed its connection with National Highway 1, has significantly affected the operations of transport companies. Vehicles have to go to more distant bus stations such as the Vinh North Bus Station, while goods have to be transported from Vinh Market over a longer distance, increasing transportation costs.

Regarding the connection of Nam Vinh Bus Station with National Highway 1 bypass in Vinh, on November 27, 2023, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Decision 3863/QD-UBND approving the connection point of the branch road to the national highway in Nghe An province. Accordingly, based on the proposal of the Department of Transport, the People's Committee approved the connection point of the branch road from Nam Vinh Bus Station to National Highway 1 bypass in Vinh at Km22+900 (right side). The People's Committee also assigned the Department of Transport to guide investors and users of the interchange on the procedures for connecting the branch road to the national highway in accordance with regulations; and to compile a list of connection points of branch roads to the national highway in the province.

The Provincial People's Committee has also assigned the Nghe An Bus Station Joint Stock Company as the investor and user of the interchange, based on the relevant legal documents of the project, to clear sufficient land for the interchange design, select a consulting and design unit with sufficient capacity to ensure the design meets current design standards (arrangement of acceleration and deceleration lanes, traffic signs, lane markings, traffic islands, etc.), to ensure traffic safety during the operation and use of the interchange. At the same time, the company must organize the regular management and maintenance of the interchange and bear full responsibility for traffic safety at this interchange.

It is known that the Nghe An Bus Station Joint Stock Company has been granted permission by Road Management Area 2 to commence construction of the connection point in the aforementioned area. However, despite the urgent need, the construction is still incomplete. Mr. Tran Minh Thanh, General Director of the Nghe An Bus Station Joint Stock Company, explained: The company has been granted permission to construct the connection point between the Nam Vinh Bus Station and National Highway 1 (Vinh bypass) at Km22+900 (right lane), but due to unfavorable weather conditions and heavy rain recently, it has not been completed. After the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Dragon, the company will continue to urge the contractor to complete the construction so that it can be put into use as soon as possible.

Regarding the traffic flow and regulation plan after the Vinh South Bus Station becomes operational, Mr. Thanh also stated that it will follow the plan issued by the Provincial People's Committee when passenger transport operations at Vinh Market Bus Station ceased. Accordingly, inter-provincial routes to the South will depart from Vinh South Bus Station - turn onto the Vinh city bypass - Ben Thuy 2 Bridge - to the southern provinces and vice versa. Intra-provincial routes with itineraries to the northern and northwestern districts and along National Highway 1, National Highway 48 and National Highway 7...: Vinh South Bus Station - Vinh city bypass - Quan Hanh town - National Highway 1 - districts along the aforementioned routes.