The new Mien Dong Bus Station (Long Binh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) has just announced a plan to serve the Lunar New Year 2026, in which ticket prices for routes are expected to increase by 40 - 60% depending on the route and time.
Route from Quang Ngai to the Northern provinces:
The increase is not more than 40% from December 15 to 18 (ie from February 2 to 5, 2026).
Increase by no more than 60% from December 19 to the 4th day of Tet (February 6 - 20, 20th, 2026).
Routes in Gia Lai province, Dak Lak:
Increase by no more than 40% from December 16 to 18 (3 - 5, 2026).
Increase by no more than 60% from December 19 to the 4th day of Tet (February 6 - 20, 20th, 2026).
Routes in Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong:
Increase by no more than 40% from December 19 to 22 (February 6-9, 2026).
Increase by no more than 60% from December 23 to the end of the 5th day of Tet (February 10 - 21, 2026).
Routes in Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Western provinces and the inner-city route of Ho Chi Minh City: Increase by no more than 40% from December 25 to the end of the 7th day of Tet (February 12 - 23, 2026).
It is forecasted that the number of passengers passing through the new Mien Dong bus station during Tet this year will only increase slightly compared to the same period last year.
In the 10 days before Tet, the new Eastern Bus Station is expected to serve about 108,500 passengers, a slight increase of 4% over the same period last year.
The peak period from December 23 to 27 has from 12,000 to 14,000 visitors per day.
10 days after Tet, the bus station is expected to serve about 45,000 visitors, an increase of only 3% over the same period.
The new Mien Dong Bus Station has a total investment of more than 4,000 billion VND, built on an area of 16 hectares, with a capacity to serve more than 7 million passengers per year.
Phase 1 of the new Eastern Bus Station with a capital of more than 773 billion VND was officially put into operation in October 2020.
This is expected to be a modern "traffic gateway", reducing the load on the old wharf and creating a boost for HCMC passenger transport.
However, actual activities in recent years have been contrary to expectations. The wharf is often deserted, and the exploitation capacity after 5 years of operation has not reached 10%.
On average, there are only about 6,400 visitors and 375 trips per day, although most of the long route has been moved here.
The main reason is the location too far from the center, about 15 km from the old wharf, combined with inconvenient traffic connections that make it difficult for passengers to access. Due to the low number of passengers, many bus companies have also switched to other bus stations with more stable passenger numbers.
A representative of the new Eastern Wharf said that since Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) was put into operation at the end of 2024, the number of passengers has shown signs of increasing but not much.
In addition to the limitations in connecting infrastructure, the situation of "illegal buses and illegal bus stations" operating vigorously outside makes it even more difficult for the country's largest bus station to attract passengers.
