Vehicle drivers taking the recently opened expressway connecting Da Nang City and Quang Ngai Province in central Vietnam have reported seeing dogs and goats wandering on the high-speed road.

A section of the Da Nang-Quang Ngai Expressway was opened to vehicles last Wednesday after four years of construction.

The expressway, which will be nearly 140 kilometers upon its completion, had a 65km section between Da Nang and Tam Ky City in Quang Nam Province opened to help facilitate traffic between the two central cities.

Less than a week after its opening, the expressway has been flooded with complaints and reports about animals entering the roadway and threatening the safety of vehicles traveling at high speed.

“I was driving at over 100 kilometers per hour on Sunday when I saw a pair of dogs in the middle of the road,” recalled La Van Thang, who has frequented the expressway since its opening. “It was sheer luck that I was able to pass the animals without hurting myself or other drivers. When vehicles travel at such a high speed, even a small obstacle could spell disaster.”

As of Monday, iron grilles meant to protect the expressway from intruders are only installed along a few kilometers of the expressway in Da Nang, while the rest of the 65km road is unprotected.

This has allowed stray animals and unattended cattle to easily cross the road to graze on either side of the expressway.

At some locations, the barriers are so low that large animals can easily leap onto the road without any issue.

According to Bui To Hoai, deputy director of the Department of Road Transport Management III under the General Department of Vietnam Roads, the responsibility of maintaining safety on the expressway lies on the shoulder of the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC).

VEC chief of office Do Chi Chung told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Monday that some parts of the expressway were not complete as it had only recently been put into use.

“We are working at full speed to finish installing iron grilles on either side of the expressway,” Chung said.

Chung avoided responding to Tuoi Tre’s request for a comment on the safety of current traffic on the expressway.

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