Vietnam's roads aren't getting wider, but cars keep getting bigger

Vietnam's roads have changed little over the years, yet the vehicles driving on them continue to grow in size.

Last weekend, a friend of mine went to view a house located at the end of a narrow alley. The moment he turned in, he shook his head. "I might have to reconsider," he said. "The alley is so narrow that getting the car in and out would be a real hassle."

His SUV is both wide and long. After several rounds of steering, reversing, and inching forward, he finally managed to squeeze it into the alley. As he stepped out, he smiled and said, "I've owned this car for a year now, but I still dread looking for parking wherever I go."

That encounter made me pay closer attention. It's not just my friend. More and more people are replacing sedans with SUVs and crossovers.

On the roads, it increasingly feels as though vehicles are getting larger while streets, parking lots, and apartment garages remain largely the same. Fifteen or twenty years ago, compact sedans dominated Vietnam's roads.

Today, SUVs, crossovers, and pickup trucks are far more common. Industry data also shows that the average size of newly sold vehicles has continued to increase over time.

The shift reflects changing consumer preferences. Many buyers value the higher driving position, larger cabin space, and greater sense of safety offered by bigger vehicles. SUVs are also seen as more practical for family use and better suited to Vietnam's rainy season, when higher ground clearance can make flooded streets easier to navigate.

But the trend raises an important question: can Vietnam's transport infrastructure keep pace with increasingly larger vehicles?

Many urban streets remain narrow, and countless alleys are barely wide enough for two cars to pass. Parking garages in older apartment buildings were designed years ago, when compact sedans were the norm. A single large SUV parked slightly off-center can make it difficult for several other drivers to maneuver in or out.

The issue extends beyond parking.

If roads remain the same width while the average vehicle continues to grow larger, congestion will be affected not only by the number of cars but also by the amount of road space each one occupies.

As consumers continue to favor bigger vehicles, the challenge is no longer simply accommodating more cars—it is ensuring that the infrastructure can accommodate larger ones as well.