According to Lao Dong's records, at about 10 am on the same day, the access road to the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong expressway (about 3 km long - from Binh Thuan intersection to Vo Tran Chi street) was experiencing serious congestion.
The line of vehicles stretched for many kilometers, moving slowly, at times almost standing still. Private cars, passenger cars and trucks crowded the road surface.
The Traffic Police force (CSGT) continuously regulates and diverts traffic, but due to the sudden increase in vehicle traffic, the traffic jam situation has not shown signs of decreasing.
According to people's reflections, congestion has started very early.
Ms. Nguyen Lan Phuong, a resident living next to the road leading to the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong expressway, said that congestion has been going on for many days now.
Today, when I woke up at 6 am, congestion appeared," Ms. Lan Phuong shared.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan (from Tien Giang) said that his family departed from the inner city at about 8 am.
Leaving home already feels the road is crowded, going here, calculated to be about 30 km, it's already taken almost 2 hours. Going up the highway is afraid of continuing to be congested," Mr. Tuan said.
According to records, the number of vehicles pouring into the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong expressway has increased sharply because people are starting to leave the city to go to the Mekong Delta provinces for Tet holidays.
It is forecasted that in the coming days, the traffic volume through the western gateway of Ho Chi Minh City will continue to increase. The Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Police Department recommends that people should proactively arrange travel time, monitor traffic conditions to choose suitable routes, and avoid peak hours.
The travel route to the Mekong Delta provinces reduced congestion.
- Route 1: Binh Dien Bridge → Nguyen Huu Tri → Tan Tuc → Binh Thuan_Cho Dem → Trung Luong – My Thuan Expressway (or straight → Le Kha Phieu - National Highway 1) → Mekong Delta provinces.
- Route 2: Cho Dem Bridge → Nguyen Huu Tri → Bui Thanh Khiet Binh Thuan_Cho Dem → Trung Luong – My Thuan Expressway (or go straight → Le Kha Phieu - National Highway 1) → Mekong Delta provinces.
- Route 3: Vo Tran Chi → Binh Thuan - Cho Dem → Trung Luong - My Thuan Expressway → Mekong Delta provinces (or → Bui Thanh Khiet → Le Kha Phieu - National Highway 1 → Mekong Delta provinces).
- Route 4: Nguyen Van Linh → Binh Thuan - Cho Dem → Trung Luong - My Thuan expressway → western provinces; or → Tan Tuc (Bui Thanh Khiet) → Le Kha Phieu (National Highway 1) → western provinces.
