At the new Mien Dong Bus Station (Long Binh ward), the atmosphere these days is very different from usual. The waiting area is crowded with passengers, many people are carrying suitcases and Tet gifts, creating a bustling scene. Mr. Mai Van Hieu (35 years old, Binh Thanh ward) said that moving to the bus station is now more convenient than before thanks to the metro line. "I take a motorbike taxi to Van Thanh station, buy a ticket for 16,000 VND and get straight to the new Mien Dong Bus Station. It's fast, safe, and you don't have to worry about traffic jams" - Mr. Hieu said.
Representatives of Mien Dong Bus Station said that on February 12th (December 25th of the lunar calendar), the station served about 600 departing buses with more than 15,000 passenger trips. On peak days from December 25th - 27th of the lunar calendar, many bus companies going to Quy Nhon, Quang Ngai, Da Nang have announced that tickets are sold out.
At Mien Tay Bus Station (An Lac ward) - which mainly serves short routes to the Mekong Delta, the number of passengers also started to increase sharply as people rushed to return to their hometowns early.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Tu (65 years old) took her three grandchildren to Can Tho first, sharing: "The children's parents are still working, returning later on the weekend. It's not even the official holiday yet, but the bus station is already crowded, surely many people are asking for early leave to avoid peak hours.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Tien - Deputy General Director of Mien Tay Bus Station - said that the two peak days are February 13th and 14th (December 26th - 27th of the lunar calendar), with about 69,000 passengers departing each day. Currently, the station has about 3,000 vehicles operating on fixed routes.
To promptly relieve passengers, Mien Tay Bus Station has requested the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction to issue an additional 200 fixed route badges, and transfer vehicles from low-passenger routes to high-passenger routes. At the same time, transport units also increase vehicles outside during peak hours.
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. Up to now, more than 80% have been consumed. Units have prepared about 2,200 vehicles as backup for situations such as sudden increases in passenger volume or vehicles not making turns in time.
On February 12th (December 25th of the lunar calendar), Tan Son Nhat International Airport officially entered the Tet peak period. According to the Airport Operations Center, there were 1,027 flights operated during the day, serving nearly 156,315 passengers. Of which, there were 519 departure and 508 arrival flights.
In Hanoi, Noi Bai International Airport recorded a sharp increase in domestic and international travel demand. At the terminal lobby, a large number of passengers were present early to check in, moving to Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and many international destinations.
According to Noi Bai International Airport, in the 7 days before Tet (February 10 - February 16), the airport is expected to serve more than 72.5 million passengers, an increase of 16%, with 4,467 flights, an increase of 12.5% over the same period. The peak falls on December 28 (February 14), expected to exceed 116,000 passengers and 674 flights. Faced with the crowded situation, passengers are advised to proactively check in online, use early check-in methods to save time. The airport also encourages limiting relatives seeing off and prioritizing public transport to reduce pressure on the terminal and car parking area.
Meanwhile, the number of passengers coming to bus stations in Hanoi to buy tickets to return home for Tet has not recorded major fluctuations.
Recorded at noon on February 12 at Giap Bat Bus Station, the number of passengers entering and leaving the station was equivalent to normal days, the ticket counter area was deserted, and there was no jostling.
Mr. Nguyen Hoang Tung - Director of Giap Bat Bus Station - said that although the number of passengers has not increased much, the station still proactively builds contingency plans, ready from 150-250 vehicles/day to serve when demand increases sharply. It is forecasted that in the coming days, the number of passengers may increase slightly, but overload is unlikely to occur.
At Nuoc Ngam Bus Station, the number of passengers is more than usual but still under control. Some routes to Nghe An and Ha Tinh have increased passenger numbers, mainly passengers who have booked tickets in advance.
In order to ensure traffic order and safety during the Lunar New Year, the Traffic Police Department of Hanoi City Police has strengthened patrols and controls at bus stations and gateways of the Capital.
