Although today is the official day off for the Lunar New Year 2025, according to Lao Dong reporters at the domestic terminal of Tan Son Nhat airport on the afternoon of January 24, thousands of people had flocked here quite early to check in for flights back home in time.
In front of Vietjet Air's check-in counter, passengers lined up tightly in the lobby, making many people tired from having to wait for a long time.
At the Vietnam Airlines check-in counter, the number of passengers was not as crowded as yesterday evening (January 23, December 24). Passengers waited from 45 minutes to 1 hour for their turn to check in and check in their luggage.
Ms. Dang Chan (residing in Tan Phu district) said she had just finished work early in the day and arrived at the airport 2 hours early to check in.
"Even though I arrived early, there were still 5 long lines ahead of me before my turn. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to check in before the counter closed, so I spent 98,000 VND to register for priority check-in service and change my seat to the upper compartment, reducing waiting time," said Ms. Chan.
Mr. Duong Huu Hung's family (living in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City) arrived at Tan Son Nhat Airport at 1:00 p.m. to catch the flight back to Vinh City at 4:00 p.m. Due to fear of traffic jams, plus the fact that his family has many members, and the check-in process would take a long time, Mr. Hung, his wife and 2 children decided to go to the airport early.
"I thought it was not the end of the working day at 1 p.m. so the roads were not jammed, but in reality, there were still many congested roads. My family does not work during office hours, so we tried to leave early and take the initiative in our time, so that if there was any problem, we could handle it in time," said Mr. Hung.
According to information from Tan Son Nhat International Airport, on January 24 (December 25), flight schedules and the number of passengers passing through the airport increased with 1,002 flights and more than 150,000 passengers arriving/departing.
Of which, the number of domestic and international passengers increased sharply, more than 96,000 passengers (domestic passengers more than 66,000, international passengers nearly 30,000).
At the western gateway of Ho Chi Minh City, according to the reporter's records at 5:00 p.m. on January 24, the roads leading to the western provinces such as Le Kha Phieu (old National Highway 1), Tran Dai Nghia, Duong Dinh Cuc, Nguyen Huu Tri, Kinh Duong Vuong, Nguyen Van Linh,... were congested with traffic for many kilometers due to the very high traffic density.
At Mien Tay bus station (Binh Tan district), from 5 pm the bus station was crowded with passengers. Thousands of passengers carrying suitcases and backpacks jostled to buy tickets to return home for Tet. As the afternoon progressed, the number of people flocking to the bus station increased, the areas in front of the bus station, the waiting hall, and the ticket sales area were always bustling and packed with people.
Worried that it would be difficult to find tickets during this time, many people came to the bus station very early, however, buying tickets was very easy and quick, even for high-quality buses.
Today, Mien Tay bus station will also enter the peak period of serving people. On January 24, the bus station is expected to serve 49,500 passengers, corresponding to 1,835 trips.
