A wave of outbound traffic triggered severe congestion across key eastern gateways of HCMC, including the HCMC–Long Thanh Expressway and major arteries, such as Vo Chi Cong, Nguyen Duy Trinh, and Nguyen Thi Dinh, as residents left the city for the four-day National Reunification Day and International Workers’ Day holiday on the morning of April 30.
Along Vo Chi Cong Street, traffic stretched for more than 5 km, crawling at a near standstill at times. Nearby routes, including Nguyen Duy Trinh and Lien Phuong, were similarly gridlocked as vehicle volumes surged. The holiday exodus has placed enormous strain on an already overburdened transport network.
At the Lien Phuong Roundabout, it took motorists up to 30 minutes to clear the intersection. Cars frequently encroached on mixed-traffic lanes, while motorbikes mounted sidewalks to bypass queues, further compounding the chaos. Driver Le Hoang Liem, who operates a HCMC–Nha Trang route, said he had been waiting for over an hour without managing to access the expressway.
Authorities deployed additional traffic police and local militia to regulate flows at critical hotspots, erecting temporary barriers to separate motorbikes and reduce conflicts. Despite these efforts, traffic conditions remained extremely challenging due to the overwhelming volume of vehicles.
About 9 km away, congestion also choked Nguyen Thi Dinh Street leading to the Cat Lai Ferry, with a 2 km queue stretching from My Thuy Roundabout to the terminal. Hundreds of cars lined up, inching forward, while motorbikes packed tightly into narrow lanes. At around 10 a.m., a collision between a passenger car and a tractor-trailer further aggravated the situation, prompting traffic police to temporarily allow some vehicles to travel against the flow to ease pressure.
Observers noted that the gridlock stems not only from holiday travel demand but also from longstanding infrastructure shortcomings. Along Vo Chi Cong and Dong Van Cong streets, numerous container yards and informal logistics hubs operate with frequent truck movements that cut across traffic streams. These heavy vehicles often drag mud and gravel onto the roadway, degrading infrastructure and heightening accident risks.
In addition, recent traffic reorganization at intersections such as Phu Huu Roundabout has fallen short of expectations. While new signal systems, lane separations, and medians were introduced to improve safety, they have inadvertently extended waiting times, causing persistent congestion throughout the day rather than only during peak hours.
A representative of the HCMC Department of Construction said authorities have instructed relevant agencies, particularly traffic police, to tighten enforcement against violations such as illegal parking and improper lane usage, especially around container yard access points.
