As the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday is just a week away, Ho Chi Minh City-based Tan Son Nhat International Airport has been packed with people flying home or to holiday destinations for the festive season.

An influx of people crowded the airport on Sunday morning, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper journalists reported onsite.

Many people brought bags full of personal belongings as they will have nine days off work for this year’s Tet holiday.

The airport authority established a separate check-in line and a group of staff to serve passengers en route to Hanoi, Hai Phong City, and Vinh City in north-central Nghe An Province, which are high-demand destinations.

A large number of families with small children and the elderly arriving at the airport several hours in advance also contributed to the crowds.

The time frames between 5:00 am and 10:00 am and from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm are the peak hours, according to the airport staff.

“The airport has been more crowded in recent days because people are returning to their hometown to celebrate Tet earlier than usual,” a leader of the Tan Son Nhat Aviation Security Center said.

As the Ministry of Transport has lifted the requirement of certificates of full vaccination against COVID-19, recovery from the disease or negative test results on air passengers from Saturday, and only retained the regulation on health declaration, passengers are enjoying simpler airport procedures.

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