MOBILITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN VIETNAM Uwano Toshiyuki I IMy research /./ View am a Japanese researcher in a wheelchair My research theme is the mobility for PWD This time I am researching how it can work in Vietnam Basically, I study how PWD can take part fully in life In a view of the policy for PWD, I consider how PWD can be the members in the society Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 13 December 2006 and it came into force on May 2008 with the ratification by the 20th country Vietnamese government also put the signature on it on 22 October, 2007 Addhionally, the law for PWD are effective on January, 2011 It means that Vietnam recognized that PWD have the rights The government encourages the education and the job opportunities for them apparently as a member of United Nation However, not everything improves the society smoothly According to the National statics of Vietnam, there were 7.8% people having some disabilities among Vietnamese people over the age of in 2009 It also indicates that there are 2.9 million people has the problem with the mobility 1.2 Method As the method of my research, carry out the field research in my own wheelchair in countryside of Japan Additionally, I went to China, Hongkong, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, to search for the hint, because Asian cities are similar to Vietnam both in cultural and social way I can compare them well for my first-hand data It is same with the scientific experiment There are phases when I cheek it (i) Accessibility: Can PWD, especially in a wheelchair, access to the vehicle with some equipment such as the lift and the Japanese Researcher 371 VIET NAM HQC - KY YEU HOI THAO QUOC TE LAN THlT TU^ ramp? (ii) Usability: Can PWD ride on a vehicle without any inconvenience? (iii) Pracficability: Can PWD think it praefieal when they use it? When the guideline was published for the accessible building in 1961 in the United Stated, they focus on the accessibility Its subtitle was "speeifieafions for making buildings and facilities accessible to, and usable by, the physically handicapped" Some say that there are some gaps between the accessibility and the usability As to me in a wheelchair, it can be said that there are some gaps between the usability and die practicability Non-PWD can't pay attention to it For example, even if they say that they have the bus with the lift, it is not accessible if the bus stop has many bumps Even if the bus has the accessibility by equipping the lift, it is not usable if the lift is too small for the wheelchair Even if the bus can contain the wheelchair without any inconvenience, it doesn't have the practicability if it runs far from the area where PWD live The worst is that the bus company would abolish it in future if no PWD took it, because the bus for PWD is more expensive than the usual ones Simultaneously, must comprehend that each country has its own culture So, when analyze it in Vietnam, I must emphasize the eharacterislic points of Vietnam I distributed questionnaires about the bus with lift for the wheelchair to each 100 and odd Vietnamese people in both Ha Noi city and Ho Chi Minh city to learn their custom more What is necessary? Wliat is necessary for PWD to participate in the society? Some think that it is most important to enforce the law of PWD's right, others think that it is most iiseliii to establish their independent life I think they are correct ITiey don't make any mistakes However, rather think that PWD's mobility is the top priority They can't spend their life llilly, because they don't have the mobility came to think strongly that it would be more helpful if the public transportation has the accessibility for the wheelchair so PWD can go out more easily If they have the way of going out, their life could be different They can know the world They can learn more Moreover, if PWD could go anywhere freely in the society, it might beneficial to the whole society Many PWD can't work in the society as they don't have the mobility in life despite they might be capable of working There is the potential workforce in Vietnam Some mJght say PWD has the right to live equally to others, so they will insist that they can prepare the bus for PWD It is true Everyone can agree that PWD has the right as well as other people However, is the concept of this sfiU acceptable if we need to pay much for other's right? If the bus is installed the lift, it costs more than usual naturally It is better if we can help PWD with little expenditure I must find a way how they can have the mobility in the society It must be the way of the 372 MOBILITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN VIETNAM benefit to the whole society, not only for PWD If consider it in reverse, what interferes with PWD in the society? By solving this problem, I might be able to make one step forward to the answer The condifions of wheelchair-accessibility can be friendly belter ride for some other people such as the elderly and Eventually, PWD in the wheelchair will go into the society Vietnam in future, too The usable accessibility is practical not also for the aging countries It can provide the pregnant women by themselves in only for PWD but made the field research in Hanoi city, Ho Chi Minh city, and Da Nang city There is the public bus with wheelchair-accessibility in Vietnam, too Though this project started as the experiment in these cities in 2008, it was suspended in cities already after a short period According to my research, many Vietnamese people didn't know that this kind of bus exists in Vietnam could find some buses in 2012 \\ hich has the lift for the wheelchair and the low-floor bus in Ho Chi Minh city, but these types of bus doesn't prevail in Vietnam yet What we need to advance it further more after the experiment? What is the problem with the bus? First of my solution, the bus must run smoothly in the city It still seems difficult in Vietnam, because there are very many motorbikes It is apparent that fiieir motorbikes cause the heavy traffic eongesfion regularly It was in 2003 that came to Vietnam for the first fime Since then, have come to Vietnam more than 10 fimes I focus on the change of Vietnam every my visit I was astonished that the flow of motorbike was too powerful in 2003 According to the "RESULT OF THE VIETNAM HOUSEHOLD LIVING STANDARDS SURVEY 2010", 75.4% Vietnamese people own the motorbike in the whole Vietnam It is 85.1% in the urban area Some think that the amount of motorbike is one of problems A kind of Vietnam culture is that there are too many motorcycles which causes the traffic congestion as the city is more urbanized It is natural that the traffic jam could be belter if there is less motorbikes, so people hope that many lake the bus instead of the motorbike The earlier study, says that million passengers take buses per day helps to decrease 700,000 motorbike riders Provided that the traffic congestion causes the economic loss against the environment, we must ponder the efficiency system to solve this traffic problem first of all The efficient traffic system must carry out the city plan including the infrastructure with the safe rule as well as solving the traffic congestion 373 VIET NAM HOC - KY YEU HOI THAO QUOC TE LAN THU TU As Vietnamese people know, Vietnamese government endeavors to convert the motorbike-riders into bus-takers such as No 6323/BGTVT-VT and the bus campaign by Miss World Vietnam However, it is still on the way to accomplish the achievement well So, I can show you some hint now researched that how many percent of people take the public bus despite they have the motorbike According to my quesfionnaire, it was about 10%) also analyzed their reason that they choose the bus in spite of having the motorbike They can enjoy their relaxation on the bus However, unfortunately I didn't find the answer for the environment It means that it will be more effective if we can give the emphasis on the relaxation more than the good environment to the motorbike riders Furthermore, though the congestion is gigantic yearly, I noticed that many traffic polices are stationed and the traffic signals are installed in Hanoi city and Ho Chi Minh city Vietnam changes itself very much It can apply to the traffic rule Is there any other transportation? There is the urban transportation, such as the metro, monorail, BRT, in Asia have taken it in Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand and, Malaysia during my field research Their vehicles are wheelchair-accessible I think that Bangkok and Taipei are much closer to Vietnam in eharacterislic ways among these cities Unfortunately, Bangkok has the same problem with Vietnam because of the traffic congestion Their traffic jam is still infamous in the world In Beijing and Singapore there are also the same social problem because of the amount of the ear, but they can't solve the problem yet Apparently, it v/ill happen to Vietnam in future, too, as the economy grows However, in Vietnam the traffic congestion is caused by the motorbike at the present, not by the car We can concentrate on solving the problem of motorbike now found the hint that Taiwan model could teach Vietnam how to deal with this situation There are Metro Taipei (jieyun) in Taiwan The metro Taipei started the construction in 1988 The L' line runs in 1996, and there are lines now When they completed the construction of the 1st Metro, many Taipei eifizens complained of it, and said that they wouldn't take it because they have their own motorbike which can go anywhere freely Now many of them take it There are the low floor buses for the wheelchair as well Their lifestyle is completely changed since they have the Metro in Taipei This is the chart of the number of the motorbike and passengers of the metro in Taipei 374 MOBILITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN VIETNAM Naturally, the motorbike can not immediately be gone emphasized on Vietnamese characteristic culture already Here emphasize on Taiwanese eharacterislic culture They still takes the motorbikes, but many motorbikes are parked at the lot one by one near the metro stations They are arrayed tidily under the strict rule by the police When interviewed the staff of Metro Saigon under the construction, they don't have the idea of the parking lot yet think that it will be helpful if there is the parking lot every a few stations Red: big motorbike (more than 250ec), Green: small bike (less than 250ee), Puiple: passengers of metro After collected their answers of the questionnaire, the most people take motorbike because they can go anywhere freely It is completely same answers with lapei people in 1996 Now Taipei people enjoy the Metro after going to the metro sla.ion by motorbike It will happen in Vietnam, too (When I asked about the metro in Viehiam, more than 90%) expect that the Metro Saigon runs) It is worth knowing why Taipei people changed the mind It is the field which belongs to the transportafion It is over my field would like Vietnamese researchers to study it What did Taipei government apply? How did they make the riders convert the motorbike into the metro? What did they before the metro started? I'm a researcher of mobility for PWD I end up mentioning the congestion in Viilnam here I like to entrust Vietnamese researchers more What is necessary to now? The Metro Saigon started the construction last August Its news was on TV ev;n in Japan know the Metro Saigon has the faeilifies for the wheelchair, because Japanese company contributed to it However, it is said that the Metro wculd run in 2017 or 2018 We must wait or more years The open of Metro dois not promptly mean to reduce the congestion Taipei succeeded in taking the 375 VIET NAM HQC - KY YEU HQI THAO QUOC TE LAN THU* TU metro system into their own city There might be the hint Before the metro starts in Vietnam, it is good to develop the area near the stafion and give the lesson to comply with traffic rule thoroughly We must not overlook the safe sidewalk Taiwanese have In Japan the pedestrians have the top priority on the sidewalk and the crosswalk, too It is the safe zone, and Vehicles mustn't interfere the pedestrians at all Many drivers comply with the duty of helmet in Vietnam Additionally, there are the duly of limits of riders, installation of more traffic signals, and more traffic polices Traffic rules works gradually surely, but there are sfill many motorbikes running on the sidewalk The motorbike of Vietnam is almost same as the bicycle of other countries Many Vietnamese people enjoy freewheeling on a motorbike Actually, the motorbike riders give the damage to the sidewalk bit by bit There are many bumps on it The police must give the ficket to them strictly to protect the pedestrians for the safely Japanese traffic rule makes the pedestrian's first Us system can make the city in order If the police are strict to the violators, it is possible that many can comply with the rule Some might convert the public transportation Conclusion Here I like to mention the life for people with disability There are photos of a day in Taipei city As I met these many people in a wheelchair for a few hours I haven't experienced as this even in Tokyo According to the data of Minister of Interior in Taiwan in 2000, they invesfigated hov/ many days of week PWT) go out There were 78482 respondents "Almost every day: 46.14%", "3-4 days a week: 9.94%", "Once or twice a week: 11.03%", "Less: 14:41%)", "None: 18.48%" It is obvious that the traffic environment allows PWD to go out in Taipei city even if they are in a wheelchair As you see, they are capable of working as far as they can go out freely 376 MOBILITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN VIETNAM With my phase, in Vietnam most of bus routes doesn't have (i) accessibility Some buses has (i) accessibility in Ho Chi Minh city, but I doubt it if it has (ii) usability, because the lift is too small to the wheelchair There is the route which has low-floor buses It has both (i) accessibility and (ii) usability, but doubt if it has the (iii) practicability or not PWD in HCM say that they must take a taxi to ride on the bus What Vietnam needs to before the metro is to improve the environment It is beneficial to the whole society After all, it is profitable to the PWD 377 ... we can help PWD with little expenditure I must find a way how they can have the mobility in the society It must be the way of the 372 MOBILITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN VIETNAM benefit... experiment in these cities in 2008, it was suspended in cities already after a short period According to my research, many Vietnamese people didn't know that this kind of bus exists in Vietnam could find... changed since they have the Metro in Taipei This is the chart of the number of the motorbike and passengers of the metro in Taipei 374 MOBILITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN VIETNAM Naturally,