In Ho Chi Minh City, passenger numbers and traffic volumes at key gateways, bus terminals, railway stations and the airport rose sharply compared with the previous day, causing localized congestion at various times.
From 4 p.m. on January 4, traffic into Ho Chi Minh City from Tay Ninh, Vinh Long and Can Tho via National Highway 1, the western gateway to Ho Chi Minh City, was heavy but flowing smoothly.
Traffic density at the Nguyen Van Linh roundabout on National Highway 1 in An Phu Tay Commune was high, but the flow was relatively smooth. Many travelers planned to return to the city earlier to avoid peak-hour congestion on the final day of the holiday.
Traffic also intensified in the eastern part of the city, where vehicles queued toward the Dau Giay–Long Thanh–Ho Chi Minh City Expressway, while other major gateways such as Vo Chi Cong Street, Nguyen Thi Dinh Street, Hanoi Highway, National Highway 13 and National Highway 1 also saw heavy traffic but were not congested.
Similarly, traffic volumes increased late in the day on Can Tho–My Thuan, My Thuan–Trung Luong and Trung Luong–Ho Chi Minh City expressways.
Provincial Road 878, from Rach Mieu 2 Bridge to the Than Cuu Nghia interchange in Dong Thap Province, also experienced congestion. Numerous cars illegally entered motorcycle lanes.
On National Highway 1A through the Ben Luc area of Tay Ninh Province toward Ho Chi Minh City, thousands of cars and motorcycles moved extremely slowly amid heavy congestion.
Meanwhile, Tan Son Nhat International Airport recorded a sharp surge in vehicle traffic, causing congestion on Phan Thuc Duyen, Tran Quoc Hoan and Hoang Van Thu streets at various times. On January 4, about 140,000 passengers passed through the airport, with 809 flights operated.
Passenger arrivals dominated the domestic terminal. Meanwhile, Terminal T3 recorded 308 flights, evenly divided between departures and arrivals.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center, from December 31, 2025 to January 2, 2026, the public transport system served nearly 4.6 million passenger trips, up 15 percent year on year.
On January 4 alone, Metro Line No. 1 (Ben Thanh–Suoi Tien) operated 264 services from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., helping ease pressure on road traffic during the post–New Year holiday peak.
Coach stations were also bustling. A representative of Mien Tay (Western) Bus Station said that on January 4, the facility served about 48,500 passengers with more than 1,950 trips. Meanwhile, the new Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station handled around 450 trips with more than 4,500 passengers.
Areas around the stations and Saigon Railway Station frequently experienced traffic congestion due to the concentration of taxis, ride-hailing motorbikes and private vehicles.
Traffic was heavy across all major entry points into the capital city of Hanoi on the afternoon of January 4.
That same afternoon, the Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security reported that during the four-day holiday, nationwide there were 196 traffic accidents, resulting in 94 fatalities and 154 injuries, down 45 accidents and 44 deaths compared with the same period last year.
According to the National Traffic Safety Committee, traffic accidents declined year on year, without particularly serious accidents, and traffic congestion was well controlled.
A multi-vehicle accident involving seven cars occurred on the Phan Thiet - Dau Giay Expressway through Xuan Que Commune in Dong Nai Province, in the direction from Dong Nai to Ho Chi Minh City at around 2:30 p.m. on January 4.
A 16-seat minibus rear-ended a sleeper coach, which then collided with a car ahead, triggering a series of crashes. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, but the vehicles were heavily damaged, and the accident caused prolonged traffic congestion.
