From about 7 pm, the waiting area was almost empty. The rows of seats were full, many passengers had to wait, one hand pulling suitcases, the other carrying Tet gifts.
The loudspeaker announcing the departure time broadcast continuously, harmonizing with the bustling chat, creates a typical bustling scene of the last days of the year.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan (from Khanh Hoa), a worker working at the Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Park, shared: "I only return to my hometown once a year, so I bought some more gifts for grandparents and parents. Luggage is a bit too much, but seeing this joyful atmosphere makes me even more excited.
Mr. Pham Quoc Dung, bringing his wife and young child back to Gia Lai (formerly Binh Dinh province), said that his family chose to go at night to avoid traffic jams: "The baby is still young, so the whole family came out early to wait for comfort. Seeing the bus station so crowded, I clearly feel that Tet has really come.
Although the number of passengers increased sharply, the situation at the station was still maintained stable. Passengers lined up according to instructions, listened to announcements and moved according to the right bus door.
At the ticket sales area, service counter and exit to the parking lot, coordination staff are on duty continuously, supporting traffic diversion and limiting jostling.
The later it got, the more people continued to increase. The waiting hall, corridors and parking garage doors were always bustling, but there was no overload or disorder.
Representatives of Mien Dong Bus Station said that on February 13 alone, the station served about 600 departure trips with more than 15,000 passengers.
During the peak days of December 26-27 of the lunar calendar, many bus companies going to Quy Nhon, Quang Ngai, and Da Nang have announced that tickets are sold out.
According to Mr. Ngo Hai Duong - Head of Transport Management Department (Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction), through statistics at 15 inter-provincial bus stations in the area after the merger, the total number of tickets expected to be sold during Tet is about 1,275,000 tickets, and so far more than 80% have been consumed.
Units also prepared about 2,200 backup vehicles to be ready to be deployed when the number of passengers increases sharply or vehicles turn around in time.
The new Mien Dong Bus Station is built on an area of about 16 hectares, with a total investment of more than 4,000 billion VND, designed capacity to serve over 7 million passengers per year.
Phase 1 of the project has a capital of more than 773 billion VND, officially put into operation from October 2020.
However, after more than 5 years of operation, the actual output currently only reaches about 10% of the designed capacity.
The increased number of visitors is mainly during holidays and Tet, while on weekdays it is quite deserted.
