This afternoon (September 29), many people in Ho Chi Minh City came to the Western bus station to return to their hometowns or travel during the September 2 holiday.
According to Lao Dong, from over 3:00 p.m. on August 29, the crowds began to rise. The routes leading to the bus station, people and vehicles continuously enter and exit. Inside the station, the waiting lines were crowded with passengers, mostly passengers who had purchased tickets in advance and were waiting at the station until boarding time.
According to bus companies, routes to the West such as Ca Mau, An Giang... are routes with a large number of passengers. The number of online bookings has increased, forcing many bus companies to double the number of trips to meet demand. If there are usually only 10-20 vehicles per day, the number of vehicles has increased significantly these days.
Although the number of vehicles is supplemented, ticket prices are still adjusted. A representative of My Duyen bus company said that ticket prices for this occasion have increased by about 40% compared to normal days. This is an increase that has been maintained stably through peak seasons in recent years.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Cuc (going to An Giang) said: "Taking advantage of this year's many days off, I took the opportunity to return to my hometown to visit my family. Since this afternoon, the bus station has been crowded, so I took the opportunity to go out early to get tickets, afraid of traffic jams."
On the afternoon of August 29, the western gateway of Ho Chi Minh City fell into a state of traffic congestion. Thousands of vehicles lined up to move slowly, making the journey back to the hometown for the holidays more difficult.
Actual records show that traffic jams have occurred for a long time on National Highway 1A, Kinh Duong Vuong Street... The line of cars, motorbikes, and passenger cars was packed with road surfaces, many sections were almost unable to move.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (35 years old, from Dong Thap), his wife and two young children were stuck in traffic on Kinh Duong Vuong Street towards National Highway 1A, lamented: "I started at 4pm, planning to return home for the holiday early. Everyone thought they had just left the center and encountered a traffic jam".
At the An Phu intersection and the access road to the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway, the number of vehicles began to be crowded, following each other. The main vehicles are cars and passenger cars traveling to the provinces for the September 2 holiday.
Mr. Nguyen Van Luan (residing in Phu Dinh ward) said that his family traveled back to his hometown to celebrate, but when reaching the entrance to the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway, there was light congestion, and vehicles moved slowly.
The Traffic Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police said that during the National Day holiday on September 2 this year, the traffic volume in the city is expected to increase dramatically, especially on gateway routes, bus station areas, stations, airports, etc.
At Binh Trieu 1 bridge area on National Highway 13 and Tan Van intersection (Tan Van - Nhon Trach section) under the Ring Road 3 project, construction is underway to repair and upgrade the project, so it will affect the traffic of people through these areas.
In order to ensure traffic order and safety, avoiding prolonged congestion during the upcoming holidays, the Traffic Police Department recommends that people proactively monitor traffic information, choose the right time and route to avoid peak hours.
The Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Police force also mobilized a flycam combined with a surveillance camera system, monitoring traffic from above to promptly regulate traffic flow and traffic during the September 2 holiday.
