Hanoians leave in droves as Hung King holiday extends weekend

With the Hung King Commemoration falling on Monday, people rushed to leave Hanoi for their hometowns Friday afternoon.

This year, April 14 is the national holiday to commemorate the founding fathers of the nation.

At 3 p.m Friday, all the waiting seats at the My Dinh bus terminal were full.

It is expected that during the holiday, the My Dinh bus station will accommodate more than 1,200 vehicles a day, a 30 percent increase over normal days. The station will have 110 extra trips on for all major routes.

The entrance to the bus station’s waiting room was also crowded with people as of Friday night. Most people crowded agencies that administer bus routes to northern provinces like Phu Tho, Quang Ninh, Lao Cai, Son La and Dien Bien.

A similar situation prevailed at the Giap Bat Bus Station in the southeast of Hanoi, as many students waited to get back home. Buses to Hung Yen, Hai Phong, Hai Duong and Thanh Hoa provinces were running full.

A mother with a child queues up to wait to get on a bus. Despite an increase in the number of trips to a district in northern Hung Yen Province, many people had to wait to get a chance to return home.

Many bus companies operating long-distance routes sold tickets at announced prices to passengers in the bus terminal.

"I am taking the night bus with berths to Dien Bien Province at 8 p.m, but I have to get here at 4 p.m. to buy a ticket before it gets sold out," said Huong, a resident of Tuan Giao District in northern Dien Bien town.

Many families chose to leave Hanoi on motorbikes, but it was not easy to exit the capital city. Thousands were stuck in long traffic jams.

The road leading to Beltway 3.

On Nguyen Trai Street near Beltway 3, many cars and motorbikes were stuck in one place for a long time.