Roads leading to Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City are jammed on late Friday afternoon, as people leave for the long Refunification weekend. Vietnamese will have a four-day break through May 2 to mark Reunification Day on April 30 and Labor Day. Many will take a vacation or go back to their hometown. |
Traffic around the airport is heavy every holiday. It has become much worse this time due to construction work for new flyovers. |
This woman decides to walk to the airport after her taxi is stuck in traffic. |
These foreign tourists also leave their cab and run to catch their flight. |
This 23-year-old man has to run more than one hour with his bags. His trip to the central resort town of Nha Trang doesn't have a great start. |
Another traveler asks a xe om to carry his luggage to the airport. |
In Hanoi, travelers also have to face a similar ordeal. Many bus stations in Hanoi are packed on Friday afternoon. |
Many line up for hours to get their tickets and some accept to pay twice the normal fare to black market dealers. |
“I bought a 4 p.m. ticket but the bus arrived two hours late,” says a man as he jostles to get on a bus to Quang Ninh Province, home of Ha Long Bay. |
A sleeper bus leaves Hanoi with too many passengers. |
A man raises two fingers to indicate how many hours he has waited to get on this bus to the central province of Thanh Hoa. |