Walking a better option as traffic chokes roads near Saigon bus station

By Quynh Tran   January 31, 2019 | 10:46 pm PT
Chaos ensues around the Mien Dong Bus Station in Saigon as people have started returning home for the year’s biggest holiday, Tet.
Walking a better option as traffic chokes roads near Saigon bus station

A man carries a Mai plant, a popular Tet decoration in southern Vietnam, on a crowded street leading to the Mien Dong Bus Station Thursday, five days before the Lunar New Year (Tet) peaks on Tuesday. The station has buses going to destinations all over northern and central Vietnam as well as the city's eastern neighbors such as Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Binh Phuoc.

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Major roads leading to the bus station such as National Highway 13 and Dinh Bo Linh, Nguyen Xi and Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Streets were filled with long lines of vehicles, which barely moved.

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Long lines of vehicles queue up on Binh Trieu Bridge at 4 p.m.

"In the days leading up to Tet passing through the coach station has been a nightmare," Phan Van Ut, a xe om driver, said.

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A driver instructs a family of three to take a short cut on foot to the bus station. They got off their car right on the bridge. "All roads are congested and walking is the best way right now," the man with the luggage in the picture said.

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Vo Hoang Nam (L) walked nearly two kilometers into the bus station. Nam bought a ticket to Gia Lai Province in the Central Highlands, more than 10 hours drive from the city, on Thursday afternoon. "I decided to take a walk as I was afraid I would miss the trip."

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Motorcyclists climbed onto the bridge’s sidewalk posing a threat to pedestrians.

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Motorbikes squeezed into any gap they could find in the traffic.

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A man named Nguyen Van Loc got into the street to help traffic police officers regulate traffic.

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Inside the station, every seat was occupied with people waiting for their buses.

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An aerial view shows buses are packed at the station. A source from the station said the number of passengers increased 2 percent from last year, and it is serving up to 55,000 people a day. 

"The station is running at its maximum capacity," the manager said.

 
 
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