With the Lunar New Year holiday (Tet) just a few days away, Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City has become packed with people who want to fly home for family reunions these days. From early morning to the afternoon of February 3, HCMC-based Tan Son Nhat airport was always overloaded with thousands of passengers flocking to the domestic terminal and waiting in line to check in for flights.
From the evening of February 2 to the evening of February 3, the domestic terminal of Tan Son Nhat Airport was crowded with passengers; thousands of them were carrying luggage while others were standing and sitting around the airport area.
Many passengers with small children expressed their fatigue after having to wait at the airport for many hours.
Similarly, many flights on February 3 were delayed. Many passengers said they had to wait in line from the morning of February 3 until noon of the same day and still could not board the plane.
Outside, roads and overpasses leading to Tan Son Nhat Airport such as Cong Hoa, Hoang Van Thu, Truong Son, Bach Dang, and Hong Ha in Tan Binh District were jammed with vehicles. Traffic snarled on these roads.
According to a representative of Tan Son Nhat International Airport, on February 2 and 3, there were an average of about 900 departing and arriving flights per day, with an average number of passengers of about 130,000 people. To reduce congestion on roads leading to the airport during peak periods, the port has planned and coordinated with relevant units of Ho Chi Minh City to ensure traffic safety and create convenience for people.
Also on February 3, people leaving the southern largest city to return to their hometowns for the Tet holiday for family reunion on motorbikes caused the Eastern and Western gateways of Ho Chi Minh City to be crowded, with partial congestion at times.
From early morning to 12 noon on the same day, a large number of people in the Mekong Delta provinces rode motorbikes and cars with their belongings to return home to celebrate Tet, causing Nguyen Van Linh Street and the National Highway 1 to head from the roundabout An Lac to the region is congested, vehicles moved very slowly.
The number of vehicles arriving was so large that the one-kilometer section passing Binh Dien Bridge was congested for a long time, making transportation difficult.
Similarly, along National Highway 1 through Tan Tuc town in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Chanh District, many sections are congested due to the large number of motorbikes, passenger cars, and trucks. The National Highway 1 in Binh Chanh District was congested as workers left factories and returned to their hometowns.
To curb congestion, Tan Tuc and An Lac Traffic Police Teams have divided into many teams to be on duty at traffic intersections along the National Highway 1 towards the Mekong Delta, adjusting light signals to increase the time it takes for vehicles to flow from the city to the region is more convenient.
According to the representative of the Tan Tuc Traffic Police Team, this year people flocked to their hometowns to celebrate Tet early because the next two days are weekends, many people asked for leave in advance instead of having to wait until the beginning of the next week.
