Sleeper bus windows shattered on southern Vietnam expressway

By An Binh July 1, 2024 | 03:00 am PT

A glass window of a sleeper bus was shattered while the vehicle was moving on My Thuan - Can Tho Expressway on June 28, 2024. Photo provided by the driver

Dozens of sleeper buses traveling at night on the My Thuan - Can Tho Expressway in the Mekong Delta have had their windows shattered, causing anxiety among passengers.

Le Buu Nguyen, driver of a passenger bus said Sunday that when he was driving on the expressway through Vinh Long Province two nights ago, he heard a sound of a bus window being hit from outside, so stopped to check.

"Upon getting off the bus, I found a window pane with a crack nearly my hand's length," Nguyen said.

At that time, there was no passengers on board and he had to temporarily tape the window up to continue the journey.

Around that time, drivers of about 20 other buses in both directions also had to stop halfway only to find the vehicles’ windows had been shattered.

After the incident, the company he works for instructed all of its drivers to take National Highway 1A instead of the My Thuan - Can Tho Expressway, which opened to traffic in late 2023 to complete the expressway system between Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho City.

The manager of a passenger bus company which provides service on the Can Tho – HCMC route said that since June 18, 10 of their sleeper buses traveling at night on the My Thuan - Can Tho Expressway through Vinh Long had had their windows shattered.

"The drivers reported that while the buses were running, they hear a popping sound from the outside. When they stop to check, they find the windows shattered but cannot find the cause," said the manager.

A sleeper bus must stop halfway on My Thuan - Can Tho Expressway after its window was damaged, June 2024. Photo by local people

A sleeper bus stop halfway on My Thuan - Can Tho Expressway after its window was damaged, June 2024. Photo by local people

Although the incidents have not caused any injuries, they have left drivers and passengers worried, disrupting journeys and resulting in a shortage of buses due to repairs.

Representatives from the Highway Patrol Team No. 7 under the Ministry of Transport’s Traffic Police Department and Vinh Long Police said they were investigating the matter.

The My Thuan - Can Tho Expressway runs 23 km long with four lanes, through Vinh Long and Dong Thap provinces. The route reduces the travel time from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho to over two hours, compared to nearly four hours on National Highway 1A.