16-seat buses are seen touring the streets of the Old Quarter in Hoan Kiem District at around 8 a.m. on Feb. 12.
The buses would take passengers to other scenic sites in nearby localities like Ninh Binh or Ha Long.
Dinh Liet Street, spanning 210 m in length and 6 m in width, bans car in one direction in the morning, but still allows tourism vehicles to go through.
From 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. from Feb. 12 to Feb. 14, there were around 60 tourism vehicles running through the area on average.
Tourism vehicles take up most of the space on Dinh Liet Street, leaving only enough for a row of motorbikes to get through.
Nguyen Sy Vinh, a security personnel in Hang Bac Ward, said the row of vehicles looked like a train. Congestion has been frequent for several years, especially after tourism resumed post-Covid, Vinh added.
A 45-seat bus running on Gia Ngu Street caused a traffic jam on Feb. 12. Gia Ngu Street has two lanes spanning 10 m and wet markets open in the morning. Large vehicles entering the area are likely to disrupt traffic.
A woman has to ride her motorbike on the sidewalk to make way for a tourism bus on Hang Be Street on Feb. 12.
Trinh Ngoc Dung, who lives on Hang Be, said large tourism vehicles often enter the street during peak hours, disrupting traffic and upsetting locals. The lack of space and the frequent congestion have caused a drop in the number of people coming to local restaurants as there are no parking space available, she added.
Tourism vehicles sometimes also encroach upon zebra crossings. Dung, who lives on Hang Giay, said such vehicles often park without order, yet authorities rarely remind them.
Vehicles mostly enter the streets to receive foreign tourists. They often stay in hotels in the Old Quarter.
The Old Quarter in Hoan Kiem District spans around 100 ha and has 76 streets. The streets are often short and narrow, with thin pavements as well.
A 16-seat car is parked on Hang Thung Street for the tourists to upload their luggage. On the two sides of the street, several vehicles stop to receive guests, adding to the congestion.
Vehicles line up one after another in front of the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater on Dinh Tien Hoang Street.
There were moments when three buses were present at the same time, taking up most of the road's space.
The Hanoi People's Committee on Feb. 11 has accepted a proposal by the Department of Transport to ban 16-seat buses from Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake areas during peak hours starting March. The banned time frames are from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., and from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The transport department said banning 16-seat buses from the aforementioned areas would help reduce congestion in the Old Quarter, especially during peak hours, which would in turn reduce pollution and protect people's health.
