In HCMC, many roads surrounding Mien Dong (eastern) coach station, Binh Thanh district, had been congested with thousands of vehicles long queuing up in Dinh Bo Linh street since early Saturday, the first day of the four day holiday.
A representative of Mien Dong station said that passengers increased 100 percent over normal with 1,600 bus trips departing from the station transporting about 44,000 passengers on Friday.
The number gradually reduced on Saturday with 1,300 bus trips and 30,000 passengers.
At Mien Tay (western) coach station, ticket counters were overloaded with too many passengers traveling from HCMC to Mekong Delta provinces such as Kien Giang, An Giang, Dong Thap and Can Tho.
Deputy director of the station Tran Van Phuong said that Saturday morning was peak time with over 50,000 people and 1,800 bus trips leaving from the station.
Cat Lai and Binh Khanh ferries saw passengers highly increase over normal. Cat Lai ferry’s representative said it was expected to transport 90,000 passengers on the two main holidays April 30 and May 1, so seven large ferries have been supplemented to meet demand. Binh Khanh’s operator has mobilized more ferries to organize up to 230 trips a day.
Hanoi Highway, HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay expressway, Kinh Duong Vuong and Ho Hoc Lam streets were crowded with holidaymakers on the same day’s morning.
Highway 1A from An Lac roundabout in Binh Tan to Binh Dien bridge in Binh Chanh was flooded in a heavy rain by the dawn causing traffic chaos and jam.
In the northern region, Hanoi fell into severe traffic jam at bus, railway stations and airports. My Dinh, Giap Bat, Nuoc Ngam bus stations were packed with people. Passengers must queue up for hours to buy ticket and get on buses.
A Giap Bat representative said that the congestion was because coaches got stuck in traffic jam at entrance spots to the capital city, unable to return the station on schedule. The worst traffic gridlock was seen at Phap Van-Cau Gie expressway and above the ground ring road no. 3.
Despite traffic police’s efforts, these roads were still congested for hours and just clear until noon on the same day.
Hotel rooms fully booked
Holidaymakers stream to beaches in Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Binh Thuan provinces on April 29 (Photo: SGGP) High grade tourist sites in Ham Tien-Mui Ne area, Phan Thiet city, the south-central province of Binh Thuan said that hotel rooms have been fully booked from April 28-May 2 with operation capacity averaging 95-100 percent.
Nearly 20 accommodation facilities in Phu Quy island district said that all rooms of them had been booked for weeks.
Hotel and service prices in the province have increased 10-20 percent. Local agencies have intensified inspection and control over businesses and hotel owners’ compliance with price regulations.
In the Central Highlands city of Da Lat, hotels also reported out of rooms and prices double to triple normal swinging from VND600,000-700,000 a single room a day in Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Bui Thi Xuan, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and Nguyen Chi Thanh streets. That approximates VND250,000 normally.
Double room price has hiked from VND350,000-400,000 to VND1-1.2 million a day.
The Tourist Department in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue said it has received 280,000 visitors from April 28-May 2, up 12 percent over the same period last year.
The increase was partly because the holiday falls on the same time of Hue Traditional Craft Festival 2017. Hotels’ capacity has topped over 95 percent on average during the holidays.
Holidaymakers flock to bus, railway stations in HCMC on April 29 (Photo: SGGP)
