" HOW" ARE THE CARS ALLOWED TO RUN DURING THE PROHIBITED TIMES?

According to people's feedback, in reality, there is a situation where "brokers" hire trucks carrying flowers from Lam Dong to Dam Sen flower market (Ward 5, District 11) to run during prohibited hours, park on prohibited roads... And one of them is T. (also known as T. "one-eyed"). Thanh Nien reporters learned that T. is managing a loading and unloading team at Dam Sen flower market. Any truck carrying flowers from Lam Dong to this flower market that wants to run during prohibited hours, park on Tong Van Tran and Nguyen Van Phu streets (Ward 5, District 11), and hire them to load and unload flowers should contact T. for support.

In early August 2023, the reporter met a male trader named D. from Ho Chi Minh City who went to Da Lat City (Lam Dong) to find a source of flowers to buy and sell. Mr. D. bought 2 boxes of yellow chrysanthemums in Xuan Tho Commune (Da Lat City), transported them to Trai Mat roundabout (Ward 11, Da Lat City) to rent a truck to transport them back to Ho Chi Minh City. Here, Mr. D. contacted T. to ask him to find a truck to transport the flowers to Dam Sen flower market. T. introduced and gave the phone number of a man named M., the owner of a car rental company on Huynh Tan Phat Street, Ward 11, Da Lat City, so that Mr. D. could discuss it himself. After listening to Mr. D. explain and say that the person who gave him the phone number was T., Mr. M. agreed to transport Mr. D.'s 2 boxes of flowers back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Mr. M. said that his and T.'s trucking companies have been working together to transport and load goods at Dam Sen flower market for over a year now. Seeing customers worried that "the flowers won't arrive at Dam Sen flower market in time for the night market because Ho Chi Minh City prohibits heavy trucks from entering the inner city before 10 p.m.", Mr. M. reassured them: "Don't worry. T. is familiar with that matter (i.e. heavy trucks running during the prohibited hours - PV) and can handle it...".

At around 2:30 p.m., after being loaded with flowers, the 8-ton truck 49C-098.xx driven by a driver named H. left Mr. M.'s parking lot heading towards Ho Chi Minh City. After about 20 minutes, driver H. called T. to provide the license plate number, then stepped on the gas and accelerated.

On the way, driver H. said that after more than a year of transporting flowers, he had gotten used to contacting T. Every trip, the driver informed T. twice for support. The first time, when the car had just started, he would report the license plate number; the second time, when the car was near the Go May intersection (HCMC), he would report: "Get in, T."

At about 8:50 p.m., the car was running on National Highway 1 when it reached Quang Trung intersection (District 12, Ho Chi Minh City). Driver H. called T. on the phone and said, "Hello, the car is here, T.". Then, at about 9 p.m., the driver drove the car through Go May intersection, then followed the route CN11 - Huong Lo 3 ​​- Binh Long - Thach Lam - Luy Ban Bich - Hoa Binh - Lac Long Quan and the stop was on Tong Van Tran street waiting for the flowers to fall.

After the trip, Thanh Nien reporter tried to meet T directly. This person affirmed that if the flower transport company from Da Lat to Ho Chi Minh City cooperated, he could help the car travel during prohibited hours and park safely on prohibited roads (?). In return, the transport company had to pay T. 10,000 VND/box of flowers...

According to T., the freight for flowers from Da Lat to Ho Chi Minh City is 110,000 VND/box. T. will collect the transportation fee from the warehouses at 110,000 VND/box, then transfer 100,000 VND/box to the bus company. This amount does not include the loading and unloading fee from the truck to the market. T. explained: the transportation fee is the responsibility of the gardener (the warehouse owner will deduct it from the flower purchase price). The loading and unloading fee is 15,000 VND/box paid by the flower warehouse owner. T. will unload the goods at whatever time the truck arrives at Dam Sen flower market.

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After many nights of recording trucks carrying flowers brazenly running during prohibited hours, parking on prohibited roads in the Dam Sen flower market area, entering alley 341 Lac Long Quan - Nguyen Van Phu (gate of Dam Sen flower market) despite the alley entrance having a sign prohibiting trucks and passenger cars from circulating... Thanh Nien reporters tried to contact a number of functional forces to "confirm" people's reflections about "many reflections but no thorough handling".

At around 8:17 p.m. on August 11, at the roundabout in the Hoa Binh - Lac Long Quan - Ong Ich Khiem area, the reporter recorded trucks traveling during prohibited hours to enter the flower market, so he called the phone number of a leader of the Traffic Police Team of District 11 Police to report. Over the phone, this person confirmed that he was the leader of the Traffic Police Team of District 11 Police, recorded the incident and said that he would send a patrol team to handle it. However, from the time the phone call was made until nearly 10 p.m., the reporter observed that at the roundabout, many trucks carrying flowers continued to move into the Dam Sen flower market without seeing any authorities come to handle it.

Similarly, at 8:39 p.m. on August 12, after recording many trucks and passenger cars parked on Nguyen Van Phu and Tong Van Tran streets, the reporter, posing as a citizen, called the phone number of a leader of Traffic Inspection Team No. 4 under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport to report. The person who answered the phone said that his team was in charge of the entire route in District 11 and affirmed that "they would send someone down to handle it", and also instructed to call the Traffic Police Team of District 11 to report it. I thought that this time there would be a force to handle it, but after waiting for a long time, there was still no movement. In the Dam Sen flower market area, trucks were still parked on the prohibited road and unloading goods as usual.

At around 9:00 p.m. on August 17, a reporter, posing as a resident, called the leaders of the People's Committee and the Police of Ward 5 (District 11) to report the encroachment of the sidewalk and trucks parking on the prohibited road around the Dam Sen flower market area, and received the answer "we have noted the incident and will coordinate to handle it"... However, by 10:00 p.m. the same day, the incident was still only "noted and will coordinate to handle it"...