Traffic congestion has discouraged taxi drivers from entering Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, causing long waits for passengers. 

Although the number of passengers at the airport has not yet surged ahead of the 2025 Lunar New Year holiday, due late this month, difficulties in accessing ride-hailing services are already becoming apparent. 

Many ride-hailing drivers have reported severe traffic congestion around the airport, significantly complicating their access to the airport terminal

This has led to frustrating delays for passengers trying to catch a ride.

Passengers endure long waits for rides

Around noon on Sunday, numerous flights constantly landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport’s domestic terminal, bringing a steady stream of passengers who headed toward the taxi and ride-hailing lanes. 

Despite demand for transportation on the rise, at times, there were no taxis available.

While Thuy, who had just arrived from Hanoi, was waiting for a taxi at Lane C of the domestic terminal with her husband and their two children, a taxi coordinator approached her cheerfully and asked, "Where would you like to go?"

She answered that she needed a ride to Ba Huyen Thanh Quan Street.

The coordinator immediately quoted a fixed price of VND220,000 (US$8.7) for the ride.

Thuy surprisedly asked why the fare was not calculated using the meter, but the coordinator explained that due to traffic congestion, it was difficult for taxi drivers to turn back into the airport, and drivers were having to wait for long periods. 

Therefore, fixed fares were applied to faster rides.

Thuy, unsatisfied with the explanation given, opted for a ride-hailing service. She booked a car via the app, costing her VND150,000 ($5.9) for the same route.

Her family waited nearly 20 minutes before getting into the car.

This experience was not unique; many other passengers encountered similar delays.

Some decided to walk from the airport to the nearby petrol station on Truong Son Street to catch a ride, though this workaround was far from convenient.

Taxi drivers struggle with traffic jams

N.T., a coordinator for a taxi company, shared that it was a challenge for taxis to return to the airport.

Normally, a trip from the airport to District 3 would take about 20 minutes, but if taxis meet with bumper-to-bumper traffic, the journey can stretch up to an hour and a half.

Entering the airport to pick up passengers is also problematic, as taxi drivers must wait in long lines and follow strict regulations, including mandatory 15-minute breaks after every four hours of driving.

Several drivers from taxi companies like Vinasun, Vinataxi, and Mai Linh have expressed frustration over their low earnings, sometimes only making a few hundred thousand Vietnamese dong a day, while facing the risk of fines that can amount to tens of millions of Vietnamese dong. (VND1 million = $39.4)

Aside from the traffic congestion, drivers are also under pressure from monitoring systems and the fees of entering and exiting the airport. 

"Every car is equipped with a monitoring device. After four hours of driving, an alarm sounds, and drivers must take a 15-minute break, even if the road is congested. Traffic congestion is really challenging,” said T..

Some drivers from Vinasun, Vinataxi, and Mai Linh told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that they were concerned about the stiffer fines on traffic violations. 

A new government decree introducing much higher fines on road traffic breaches took effect from January 1, 2025.

These drivers also complained about the difficulty in picking up passengers at the airport. 

For example, worried about grabbing a ride, many passengers often open a ride-hailing app to book a ride while waiting for their luggage. However, when the driver arrives, the passenger is still inside the terminal.

In spite of waiting for a long time, drivers hesitate to cancel the ride. They are afraid that the cancelation might affect their working rate and could lead to their account being suspended.

If they park for too long, dispatchers will urge them to leave. As a result, some drivers end up looping in and out, with each trip in and out of the gate costing VND25,000 ($0.98).

Taxi companies are planning to redirect cabs to the airport and bus stations to better meet passenger demand.

A representative from a taxi company stated that cabs would be flexibly deployed from the parking lots on Truong Son Street to the airport to suit the increasing demand. 

To incentivize drivers to accept rides from the airport, ride-hailing firm Grab has launched a reward program. 

Drivers can earn VND40,000 ($1.6) per day if they complete at least two rides between 4:00 pm and midnight, provided they maintain a ride acceptance rate of over 90 percent and a cancelation rate below seven percent.

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