3 dead, dozens injured in sleeper bus crash on Vietnam expressway

According to initial reports, the crash happened in Ham Liem Commune, formerly of Binh Thuan Province and now under the jurisdiction of Lam Dong following the recent major administrative restructuring in which 63 Vietnamese provinces and cities were reduced to 34.

A Nhu Y 78 sleeper bus traveling southbound rear-ended a Thien Tri bus which had stopped due to a mechanical issue in the driving lane.

The collision resulted in three people dead at the scene, including driver Le Pham Anh Vu, 40, and assistant Trinh Gia Bao, 16, from the Thien Tri bus, and Phan Kim Thanh, 25, a driver’s assistant of the Nhu Y 78 bus.

Luu Huynh Phuc, director of Binh Thuan General Hospital, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that nearly 40 crash victims were brought in during the early hours.

Most of them sustained minor injuries and were discharged after initial treatment.

Meanwhile, a nine-year-old victim was transferred to Children’s Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City for further care.

Rescue forces redirected traffic at the Ma Lam interchange toward National Highway 1 while emergency crews cleared the crash site.

By mid-morning, traffic on this expressway section resumed as normal.

The Vinh Hao-Phan Thiet Expressway spans over 100 kilometers, forming part of the main route between Ho Chi Minh City and Khanh Hoa Province.

This expressway lacks emergency lanes, with designated stopping points spaced 4-5 kilometers apart, and has a 90kph speed limit. 

Several serious accidents have previously occurred along this route, according to news site VnExpress.