The arrival hall at the international terminal of Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City was bustling early on Wednesday morning with people awaiting the return of their overseas Vietnamese relatives for the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) celebration.

The crowded scene began around 9:00 pm on Tuesday and continued to swell as the night progressed, mirroring the increasing number of passengers emerging from the arrival gates.

“We were so looking forward to their arrival that we headed for Saigon early this morning to pick them up,” shared Nguyen Thi Chi from Tay Ninh Province, who was anticipating the return of her daughter’s family from the.U.S. to celebrate Tet, which is two weeks away.

Huong, residing in Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City, pointed to a screen displaying the arrival information for Eva Air's flight BR381 landing at Tan Son Nhat at 10:30 pm.

She voiced apprehension regarding the delayed arrival of her younger sister, who was a passenger on the flight.

“She still hasn’t shown up. Why is it taking so long?” Huong inquired with a hint of worry.

As of 11:40 pm, Huong had not yet been reunited with her younger sister.

Having been married to a Taiwanese for more than four years, her sister seldom returns home for Tet celebrations.

However, her sister, along with her husband and their one-year-old child, brought immense joy to the family by deciding to celebrate Tet together this year.

Many others who waited to welcome their loved ones at the airport from Tuesday night to early Wednesday morning shared similar stories about their relatives having been away for the entire year, some for many years, and only returning home for Tet once. 

This joyous occasion prompted them to eagerly gather at the airport.

Among the crowd were families with both young children and the elderly, yawning and leaning on airport seats in the middle of the night but staying resilient in their anticipation. 

“No matter how late it is, we still wait to pick them up,” said Hue, a 60-year-old resident of Binh Tan District in Ho Chi Minh City. 

Seated beside her, Lam, from southern Binh Duong Province, said that the return of overseas Vietnamese relatives becomes a more heartwarming event when extended family members are there to embrace them. 

His family had seven members travel to Tan Son Nhat to pick up a daughter.

Slow immigration procedures

Kieu Khanh, a passenger arriving on a flight from Guangzhou City, China at 10:00 pm on Tuesday, expressed dissatisfaction with the slow immigration procedures and baggage claim at Tan Son Nhat. 

Even past midnight, the immigration zone remained crowded, with people waiting in lengthy queues.

Khanh criticized the efficiency of passenger releases in this area, stating, “Despite the presence of machines to let Vietnamese passengers scan passports themselves, many still struggle, resulting in queues as immigration officers manually check the passports.”

Le Quoc Hoa, hailing from the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, arrived at the airport at 9:30 pm to welcome his aunt, whose flight from the U.S. landed at 9:45 pm. 

After waiting for over an hour and a half without seeing his aunt, Hoa grew impatient and remarked, “Our immigration procedures seem excessively lengthy.”

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