Any start of a holiday in Vietnam would be incomplete without news reports about traffic congestions when people left big cities for their vacations. A five-day break that began from Friday’s late afternoon was no exception.

Vietnam will celebrate the Reunification Day on April 30 and International Workers'Day on May 1, with many public workers given a five-day breaking from today, April 27.

In both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, a flood of holidaymakers, as in every other time, already rushed out of big cities on the final working day yesterday, causing traffic gridlocks in the areas near the airports and bus stations, as well as at the city’s exits.

In the southern metropolis, traffic jams occurred on the streets around Tan Son Nhat International Airport on the west side of the city shortly after the end of Friday’s working hours.

All types of vehicles including buses, cars, trucks, taxis, and motorcycles had to inch step by step.

A severe traffic jam on Truong Son Street in Ho Chi Minh City on April 26, 2019. Photo: Cong Trung / Tuoi Tre

Many passengers were reportedly late for their flights as they got stuck in the long lines to the airport. Several of them had to give up taxis and walk to the airdrome.

The situation was not any better in the east side of the city, where a sea of vehicles flooded the Binh Trieu Bridge that leads to Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station.

Traffic police units were dispatched to locations susceptible to traffic jams in order to manage the situation.

In Hanoi, commuters faced bottlenecks near the major bus stations Nuoc Ngam and Giap Bat.

Several streets including Truong Chinh, Giai Phong, and Ring Road 3 experienced severe congestions for nearly two hours. It took people 20-30 minutes to pass some sections that span only two kilometers.

The traffic nightmare is expected to reappear after the holiday when people return to the cities for work on May 1.

Passengers crowd inside Tan Son Nhat International Airport on April 26, 2019. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre

A section of Ngoc Hoi Street in Hanoi is congested on April 26, 2019. Photo: Ha Thanh / Tuoi Tre

A section of Truong Chinh Street in Hanoi is congested on April 26, 2019. Photo: Ha Thanh / Tuoi Tre

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