Hanoi's gateways experienced severe congestion on Saturday afternoon as large crowds returned to the capital after the 2025 Lunar New Year (Tet), causing significant bottlenecks at multiple entry points.

Starting around 4:00 pm on Saturday – the eighth day of the nine-day Tet holiday – several gateway routes into Hanoi, including the Phap Van-Cau Gie expressway at the city's southern entrance, saw long lines of vehicles stretching nearly three kilometers, as reported by journalists from Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

These vehicles moved sluggishly toward the city center, with many drivers resorting to using emergency lanes to bypass the traffic, which only worsened the congestion.

Similar traffic jams were observed on Beltway 3 and Thanh Tri Bridge, where a massive number of cars crawled toward the city center at an extremely slow pace.

Heavy congestion also occurred on Co Linh Street, a major route leading into Hanoi from the east, turning it into a significant bottleneck.

On Co Linh Street, commuter Nguyen Van Bao, 32, was seen slowly making his way toward Vinh Tuy Bridge.

Explaining his decision to return early, he said, “Although the Tet holiday isn’t over, I want to have some time to rest before going back to work. Tomorrow, I plan to take my kids out in Hanoi before they return to school.”

To manage the congestion, Hanoi's traffic police deployed officers at key intersections to regulate traffic flow and promptly handle any incidents.

The Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security has warned that traffic heading back to Hanoi will continue to increase in the coming days.

In response, it plans to deploy additional mobile patrol teams and collaborate closely with local traffic police to improve traffic control.

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