Airports, bus stations, and railway stations in Ho Chi Minh City have been flooded with people leaving or arriving in the metropolis as the Lunar New Year is less than one week away.

Residents in the southern hub have been trying to be reunited with their family members to celebrate the Lunar New Year (Tet), which is due on January 28.

According to observations by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters on Saturday, the number of flights from foreign destinations to Ho Chi Minh City peaked from 9:15 am to around noon.

Travelers from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea and others flooded the immigration counters and luggage belts.

Meanwhile, the arrival hall was also packed with family members who were waiting to greet their loved ones returning from overseas, with airport employees constantly having to clear the way for passengers.

Thuyen, a woman from the Mekong City of Can Tho, was holding her granddaughter while waiting for her daughter, who lives and works in Taipei, stating she had rented a car to start traveling from Can Tho to Ho Chi Minh City at 4:00 am.

Just like Thuyen, thousands of others were cramming the facility, with many elders and children exhausted by the long wait and serious overcrowding.

Cars and taxis were also stuck in long lines of traffic, being unable to pick up their passengers at the airport terminals.

About 700 flights land at or take off from Tan Son Nhat on a daily basis during the pre-Tet period, Tran Doan Mau, director of the Southern Airports Authority said, adding that the number could be higher in the upcoming days.

“All employees have been working at full capacity, despite help from students of the Vietnam Aviation Academy,” Mau elaborated.

Local police units have been exerting more efforts to prevent traffic jams at the airport entrance as well as ensuring security within the facility.

Crowded bus stations

Major bus stations in the southern hub have been overwhelmed by a large number of people traveling back to their hometowns before the Lunar New Year.

Passengers wait for their coach at the Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Many passengers decided to arrive at the places at least an hour before their bus schedule, flooding the waiting halls.

During an interview with Tuoi Tre, Nguyen Hoang Duy, deputy director of the Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station in Binh Thanh District, about 40,000 people got on 1,500 buses at the place.

“As the number of passengers will continue to rise, we have coordinated with local police to ensure order and security inside and outside the station,” Duy added.

The number of passengers rose 10 to 15 percent year on year at the Mien Tay (Western) Bus Station in Binh Tan District on Saturday, said Nguyen Minh Tien, an official of the venue. 

Missed trains

At the Saigon Railway Station, many passengers were late for their trains because of traffic jams on the streets leading to the facility.

Dinh Pham Dieu Tin, 21, from the central province of Quang Nam, was in such a hurry that she got on the wrong train on Saturday afternoon.

By the time Tin realized her mistake, her train TN4 had already left, before authorities at the station arranged for Tin a seat on train SE30.

Other passengers were also redirected to substitute trains when they were unable to get on their original trains on time.

According to the Saigon Railways, 20 trains had carried some 16,000 people from the southern metropolis to their homes across the country.

Security units have worked around the clock to ensure security and prevent ticket scalpers from operating at the venue.

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