Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport in Vietnam is preparing to open its smart traffic operations centre next month.

As the first of its kind in Vietnam, the new traffic control and operation hub will manage traffic in the city’s centre area.

The centre is being developed by funds made available by the Saigon River Tunnel Management Centre.

In order to control the traffic in the city, the centre will direct traffic lights, supervise vehicles and offer information on conditions.

Traffic lights will be connected through the system and cameras will be installed on 78 streets and at 300 intersections to help reduce jams and accidents in the city.

Alongside being capable of measuring vehicles’ speed, the traffic centre will be able to identify vehicle plate numbers and other information.

“Traffic lights will be connected through the system and cameras will be installed on 78 streets and at 300 intersections to help reduce jams and accidents in the city.”

So far, the centre has been connected with 188 transport points in inner districts 1, 3, and 5, along with Phu Nhuan and Tan Binh districts.

In 2018, the Saigon River Tunnel Management Centre began connecting the centre with electronic information boards, cameras, and traffic lights to help improve management and operations.

Saigon River Tunnel Management Centre director Le Minh Triet told local publication Vietnam+ that the synchronisation work will finish in February this year.

Triet added that six additional automatic speed cameras will be installed on Nguyen Van Linh street and on National Highway No1 to catch speeding vehicles.

Meanwhile, the city’s Department of Transport is developing a model to forecast transport demand in the city.

As well as helping manage traffic flows, the new model will assess the impacts of transport demand on urban areas and buildings.