The Ho Chi Minh Road section from Hoa Binh Province’s Luong Son District to Hanoi's Chuong My District is just 10 km long, but has dozens of mines under exploitation. Long lines of overloaded vehicles are a common sight.
Traffic police officers stop two trucks that show signs of overloading in Chuong My District. They were found to be 25 percent heavier than permitted, so the drivers were fined between VND6-12 million ($258.29-516.57).
On another Ho Chi Minh Road section running through Hoa Binh Province, trucks were found to be 22 cm higher than registered. The height had been adjusted to increase the trucks’ capacity.
On June 4, a truck running on the Ho Chi Minh Road flipped, killing three people. Authorities found out that the truck had been expanded to 2.5 times the registered height.
In HCMC, trucks typically hit the roads after 10 p.m. On June 16, traffic police officers stopped several trucks suspected of being overloaded in Thu Duc.
A police officer (pictured) measured a truck’s height at 1.8 m, against the registered 62 cm. Its 28-year-old driver said he knew the truck had been expanded, but he had to follow owners’ orders.
"If I don't, I will lose my job," he said.
The driver was subsequently fined VND2.5 million and had his license revoked for two months. The truck's owner also had to pay a fine of VND14 million.
Several transport businesses said they have increased the cargo load to offset fuel price hikes.
Trucks carrying dirt and soil, leaving them uncovered, are fined VND3 million, when they are caught.
In Dong Nai Province that borders HCMC, Road 768 is notorious for thousands of overloaded trucks using it every day.
A two-kilometer road section near Changshin Vietnam, a South Korean shoemaker who is a major Nike supplier, in Dong Nai is almost always covered in dust coming from trucks.
A woman riding a motorbike falls on Road 746 as she runs into a damaged section of the road in Dong Nai's Bac Tan Uyen District.
Pham Thi Men, 55, who sells groceries in Thien Tan Commune, Vinh Cuu District, Dong Nai, has to completely cover her goods near Road 768 to prevent dust from getting in.
Me has to spray water in front of her shop to get rid of the dust, but it's never enough.
"The trucks keep running through here every day, bringing the dust. My business suffers as a result," she said.
Following a downpour, water fills up holes on a road in Bien Hoa, Dong Nai's capital town. Trucks running at high speed splash the water that drenches other users in dirty water at times.
Overloaded trucks damaging roads is a well known issue. Transport Minister Nguyen Van The said last week that he would suggest tighter restrictions on vehicle capacity.
"We currently allow vehicles to exceed their capacity by 50-60 percent, so we will suggest a limit of 10 percent. If vehicles exceed their capacity by 20 percent, they will be seized," he said.
