What are roads? Guidelines for road classification in Vietnam

Regarding this issue, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

1. What are roads?

According to Clause 1, Article 3 of the Law on Road Traffic 2008, roads include roads, land bridges, tunnels and ferry landing stages.

What are roads? Guidelines for road classification in Vietnam (Internet image)

2. Guidelines for road classification in Vietnam

Article 39 of the Law on Road Traffic 2008 stipulates the road classification as follows:

- The road network consists of six systems, including national highways, provincial roads, district roads, communal roads, urban roads and special-use roads, which are prescribed as follows:

+ National highways are roads connecting Hanoi capital with provincial-level administrative centers; roads connecting provincial-level administrative centers of three or more localities;

Road connecting an international seaport or airport to international border gates or major border gates; roads especially important to local or regional socio-economic development;

+ Provincial roads are roads connecting provincial-level administrative centers with administrative centers of districts or adjacent provinces; roads important to provincial socio-­economic development;

+ District roads are roads connecting administrative centers of districts with administrative centers of communes, commune clusters or adjacent districts; roads important to district socio-economic development;

+ Commune roads are roads connecting administrative centers of communes with villages and hamlets or equivalent units or connecting adjacent communes; roads important to commune socio-economic development;

+ Urban roads are roads within the administrative boundaries of inner cities;

+ Special-use roads are roads exclusively used for the transportation and travel of one or more than one agency, organization or individual.

- The competence to classify and adjust road systems is prescribed below:

+ The Minister of Transport shall decide on the national highway system;

+ Provincial-level People’s Committee presidents shall decide on systems of provincial roads and urban roads after reaching agreement with the Ministry of Transport (for provincial roads) or the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Construction (for urban roads);

+ District-level People’s Committee presidents shall decide on systems of district roads and commune roads after obtaining the approval of provincial-level People’s Committee presidents;

+ Agencies, organizations and individuals with special-use roads shall decide on systems of special-use roads after obtaining written consent of the Minister of Transport, for special-use roads linking with national highways;

Written consent of provincial-level People’s Committee presidents, for special-use roads linking with provincial roads, urban roads or district roads; or written consent of district-level People’s Committee presidents, for special-use roads linking with commune roads.

3. Road traffic principles in Vietnam

 Road traffic principles in Vietnam are specified in Article 4 of the Law on Road Traffic 2008, specifically:

- Road traffic must be uninterrupted, orderly, sale and effective, contributes to socio-economic development, defense and security assurance and environmental protection.

- Road traffic shall be developed according to planning towards modernization and synchronism; transportation by road shall be combined with other modes of transportation.

- Road traffic administration shall be implemented uniformly on the basis of assignment and decentralization of specific responsibilities and powers and close coordination among ministries, branches and local administrations at all levels.

- Ensuring road traffic order and safety is the responsibility of agencies, organizations and individuals.

- Road users shall self-consciously and strictly observe traffic rules and ensure safety for themselves and others. Vehicle owners and operators shall take responsibility before law for ensuring that their vehicles operate safely in road traffic.

- All acts of violating the road traffic law shall be detected and prevented in time and handled in a strict and lawful manner.

Nguyen Nhu Mai

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