All routes leading to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were once again congested as thousands of people rushed back to the two metropolises at the end of their long holiday weekend.

Traffic jams started at the entrances of Ho Chi Minh City around Sunday afternoon, the final day of the four-day break marking Vietnam’s National Day (September 2).

As of 5:15 pm, throngs of motorbikes and long-haul buses were recorded along the section of National Highway No. 1 in Binh Chanh District.

On the Ho Chi Minh City-Trung Luong Expressway, which connects the southern city with the Mekong Delta, automobiles and long-haul buses were stuck in traffic for more than six kilometers.

The same scene could be witnessed along the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway.

“Congestion during holidays is inevitable, but I think the gridlock this time is less severe than previous years,” said Mai Thi Loan, who was heading to Ho Chi Minh City from the Mekong Delta province of An Giang.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport said it had prepared many solutions for traffic congestion during the National Day break, including temporarily shutting down toll stations, boosting electronic toll collection (ETC), and mobilizing traffic police units at congestion hotspots.

In Hanoi, Ring Road No. 3 started getting congested at around 2:30 pm, with the volume of traffic increasing in the following hours.

Many traffic officers were already in the area to mitigate the gridlock.

It was the same on Ring Road No. 2, Nguyen Trai Street, Khuat Duy Tien Street, and So Intersection.

Vo Nguyen Giap was also congested following a traffic accident at around 4:00 pm, which caused an automobile to overturn in the middle of the road.

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