Other Transportation

by Konishi Yuna

I introduced each main transportation method in Japan and Vietnam. In Japan, subway, train, and bus are often used for commuting or going to school everyday. On the other hand, in Vietnam, motorcycle, car, bus are often used in daily life. In this article, I will show you other means of transportation in each country.

Car, bicycle(Japan)

In Japan, subway, train, and bus are often used, but car and bicycle are also often used. In Japan, car ownership is approximately 60 million. Also, in 2016, the number of bicycles owned in Japan was approximately 72.38 million, and the penetration rate to the population was approximately 54%. Approximately one in two people owns a bicycle. The penetration rate has been increasing year by year, and the number of vehicles owned has increased by more than 5 million compared to 2006. The development of electrically assisted bicycles has led to the widespread use of bicycles. Cars are becoming smaller and lighter, making them easier to use. In addition, development and popularization of electric vehicles, it became more friendly to the environment.

Train(Vietnam)

There are trains in Vietnam, but There are no electric trains in Vietnam. The trains operating in Vietnam will be diesel locomotives and will be the type that will drive the passenger cars and freight cars that follow. Unlike Japan’s Shinkansen, the speed is very slow because the train runs at about 70km/h. Travel time is almost the same as traveling by car or bus. The journey from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh about 1,700km takes about 33 hours. In Japan, it is the distance from Aomori to Hakata. There are many types of seats in Vietnam just as there are ordinary cars and green cars in Japan, and there are four types of seats. The price varies depending on the presence or absence of an air conditioner and the hardness of the seat. Vietnam has a long history of railways. Many Vietnamese railroads were built during the period of French Indochina in the French colonies. The Hanoi-Saigon Railway, which links 1726 km from Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh in the south, was repeatedly destroyed and repaired in the war, and the entire line was restored in 1976, the end of the Vietnam War. Since then, it has been known as the “Unified Railway” and has been a popular symbol of the unification of the north and south now.