On February 15, Hanoi's train station was bustling with passengers boarding trains bound for Southern destinations. Information from the Vietnam Railways reveals that North-South trains departing from Hanoi station between February 15 and 19 are nearly sold out in all carriages.
On certain days, there are limited additional seats (plastic seats) available at considerably higher prices, with the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route reaching rates of over VND1.7-1.8 million per ticket. Starting from February 20, more tickets of various types become available. For the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route, air-conditioned hard seats are priced above VND1.3 million per ticket; air-conditioned soft seats nearly VND1.4 million per ticket; cabin beds for six people priced at over VND1.6 million per ticket; and cabin beds for four people priced at over VND2 million per ticket.
Similarly, Noi Bai International Airport has experienced a sharp rise in passengers traveling from Hanoi to Southern provinces. Currently, all economy class seats on evening flights from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City from February 16 to February 19 have been sold out, leaving only business class seats available at prices ranging from VND6.38 million to VND8.43 million per ticket. Starting February 20, airfare begins to cool down, with prices starting from VND2.49 million per ticket. Likewise, for the Hanoi - Nha Trang route on February 17 and 18, only business class seats remain, priced at approximately VND6 million per ticket.
From February 20, the fare for this route drops to just VND2.6 million per ticket.
From February 26, when the peak Tet period is over, airfares for all routes experience a significant decrease. Flights from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, and Can Tho will be priced as low as VND900,000 per ticket. As for road routes, travelers can easily purchase coach tickets from Hanoi to Southern provinces, ranging from VND700,000 to VND1.2 million per ticket. The Department of Transportation of Hanoi advises passengers to buy tickets at official terminals and avoid unregulated transportation services to prevent overcharging.
In Kon Tum, Mr. Nguyen Duc Huong, Deputy Director of the Department of Transportation, noted that after the Tet holiday, there's been a growing influx of people from Kon Tum heading to work in provinces like Thua Thien Hue, Binh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, and Ho Chi Minh City.
Consequently, the department has urged transportation providers to mobilize their vehicles efficiently to ensure all passengers are catered to, avoiding any situations where passengers are left stranded without transportation. Moreover, they've issued directives to inspect unregistered transportation services and unregulated coach stations, along with vehicles lacking proper licenses, aiming to prevent the operation of unsafe vehicles.
In Lam Dong Province, on February 15, a considerable number of both locals and tourists left the area via major highways like 20, 27, 28, and 28B, heading back to Southern provinces. Despite the increased traffic volume compared to normal days, vehicles moved smoothly along National Highway 20. Surprisingly, even at the Bao Loc Pass, typically a bottleneck on National Highway 20, there were no significant traffic jams as seen during previous holiday seasons.
This was due to a large number of vehicles choosing routes from Da Lat to the Phan Thiet - Dau Giay Expressway via National Highways 28 and 28B, relieving substantial pressure on National Highway 20. However, in downtown Da Lat City, tourist numbers remained high on February 15, leading to traffic congestion around Xuan Huong Lake during peak morning, noon, and late afternoon hours.
