On the afternoon of February 8th (ie December 21st of the lunar calendar), while the peak of serving the 2026 Lunar New Year is approaching, the new Mien Dong bus station (Long Binh ward, Ho Chi Minh City) fell into a desolate and deserted scene.
Inside the new Mien Dong bus station, the waiting area is spacious, airy, and fully equipped, but only a few dozen passengers are scattered.
Occasionally, people ask to buy tickets, the atmosphere is completely opposite to the image of the largest bus station in the country during the Tet peak season.
The new Mien Dong Bus Station is invested with more than 4,000 billion VND, of which the first phase alone is about 740 billion VND, with a scale of serving more than 7 million passengers per year.
However, since being put into operation in 2020, this bus station has continuously fallen into sluggishness, operating less than 10% of its capacity.
According to representatives of Mien Dong New Bus Station, the main reason for the decrease in passenger volume is the situation of illegal buses and makeshift bus stations operating rampantly outside, especially on the roads leading to the station, causing passengers to choose to take buses "for convenience", even though there are many potential risks.
While inside the bus station is deserted, outside it is a completely different picture. Along National Highway 1 through Thu Duc City (formerly), thousands of people sit and stand scattered along the road, waiting for buses in dusty conditions.
With luggage piled up next to them, many people said that they choose to catch a bus on the street because "they don't have to go around to the station, which saves time".
Notably, the Thanh Cong parking lot area at the foot of Binh Phuoc overpass (intersecting National Highway 13 and National Highway 1, Hiep Binh ward) operates no differently from a miniature bus station.
Dozens of passenger cars continuously enter and exit to pick up and drop off passengers and receive goods. Hundreds of passengers jostle to get on the bus.
Similarly, the section of National Highway 1 near Linh Xuan intersection - where Ho Chi Minh City allows fixed-route cars to stop to pick up and drop off passengers for a maximum of 3 minutes to create convenience for people - has also been transformed into a "illegal bus station".
Many passenger cars bearing the name of contract cars blatantly stop, turn on turn signals, and open doors to solicit passengers. Many cars stop for 30 minutes to an hour to gather enough passengers.
At times, many passenger cars line up to park and occupy the road, below are hundreds of people standing and sitting waiting for cars, making this area no different from a spontaneous bus station, posing a potential risk of traffic unsafety and security and order.
Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh (formerly from Binh Dinh) sitting waiting for a bus by National Highway 1 said: "Going to the new Mien Dong bus station is too far, I have to go another stop to get there. I'm used to taking'unlicensed' buses here, the bus company calls to pick me up, I don't have to wander around.
Similarly, on National Highway 1, the section in front of Lam Hong bus station (near Song Than overpass), dozens of passengers stood and sat scattered along the road waiting for buses.
On average, every 10-15 minutes, a passenger car just passes Song Than overpass, turns on the turn signal, and pulls over to the side of the road to pick up passengers, posing a potential risk of traffic unsafety.
