Bai Sau Beach in Ho Chi Minh City's beach town of Vung Tau was packed at 5 p.m. Friday, as local residents said the number of visitors was comparable to the overcrowding seen on Thursday.
According to the Vung Tau Ward Public Service Supply Center, the locality received about 70,000 visitors on Thursday. The four-day Reunification Day - Labor Day holiday began Thursday, with most businesses closed nationwide.
Photo courtesy of Yeu Vung Tau
Sam Son Beach in the central province of Thanh Hoa was crowded with tourists.
Video by Huy Manh
At 3 p.m. Friday, the Trang An boat wharf in the northern province of Ninh Binh was filled with visitors.
Many tourists started showing up for a boat ride since early morning, creating long queues stretching from the ticket counters to the entrance gate, according to The Trang An Heritage Management Board.
Due to the large influx, the management board recommended visiting during off-peak afternoon hours to avoid long waiting times.
The unit said there is no cap on ticket sales, but operations are regulated based on the number of boats and actual operating capacity to ensure safety.
Photo courtesy of Thong tin Ninh Binh 24h
In Ha Long, the Bai Chay Bridge experienced congestion. Many roads leading to local attractions, such as the Quang Ninh Museum area and the Ha Long coastal road, were jammed with vehicles.
Quang Ninh Province welcomed about 290,000 visitors on Friday, with domestic tourists accounting for more than 97%. Total tourism revenue for the day was estimated at VND900 billion (US$34 million), according to data from the Quang Ninh Department of Tourism.
Visitors lined up to board boats to caves and islands in Ha Long Bay on Friday morning. The high-end accommodation and service market in the bay saw strong demand early in the holiday.
A representative of cruise operator Paradise Vietnam said its sightseeing cruises and accommodation services reached 100% capacity during the two days.
Its hotel system was also fully booked early as guests had made reservations a month in advance. On Friday alone, Ha Long Bay welcomed about 22,500 visitors.
In nearby Hai Phong, long lines of people were seen at Dong Bai ferry terminal, (which connects the mainland with Cat Ba Island) at 5 a.m. on Friday.
Local residents living near the terminal said the number of visitors that morning already eased compared to Thursday.
The ferry operator said all five large ferries, each capable of carrying about 15 cars and hundreds of passengers, were deployed at full capacity to serve holiday travelers. In summer 2026 (from April to the end of August), the Dong Bai - Cai Vieng ferry route will increase from 23 to 38 trips per day.
In the central beach town of Quy Nhon, visitors on Friday noon waited under the sun for speedboats at Ky Co Island.
Doan Tan, a local resident, said his family had to wait more than an hour for a speedboat. Each boat carries 27 passengers and runs every 15 - 20 minutes, but could not meet demand due to the large number of visitors arriving at the same time.
Photo by Doan Tan
Rest huts on Ky Co Island were full of people in the morning. Room occupancy at Ky Co reached 100% on Thursday and Friday, according to the Ky Co Tourist Area Management Board.
At 10 a.m. Friday, Hon Nua Island in the central province of Dak Lak was bustling with visitors swimming and sightseeing.
Local tour guide Quang Teo said the sudden surge in visitors caused speedboat services to become overloaded.
Although the trip to the island takes about 15 minutes, visitors had to wait 30 minutes to an hour for a boat. Queues formed from early morning, in contrast to normal days when boats are readily available.
Photo by Quang Teo
The Hue Imperial Citadel was busy with visitors on Friday morning.
Revenue from entrance tickets to heritage sites in Hue reached more than VND3.7 billion ($140,400) on Friday, the highest ever recorded, according to the Hue People's Committee.
Customers queued at a banh mi shop in Hue. In addition to tourist attractions, eateries in the former imperial capital were also crowded.
Phan Nhat, a visitor from HCMC, said the city center was packed with people and vehicles at most times of the day, with restaurants full and requiring hour-long waits. At noon, he spent nearly an hour and asked at two to three places before finding somewhere to eat.
“Holiday travel means constant waiting,” Nhat said.
Video by Le Duc Hoan
In Hoi An at 4 p.m. on Friday, many streets were overloaded.
Nguyen Xuan Anh, a local photographer, said visitor numbers surged from mid-afternoon, filling attractions and eateries with queues. At popular photo spots, tourists had to wait 15-20 minutes for their turn.
Photo by Nguyen Xuan Anh
Tourists crowded for photos at Ban Co Peak in Da Nang at 6:30 p.m.
“I came in the late afternoon to avoid crowds, but every corner was still filled with people,” said Phan Nhat, a visitor from HCMC.
Photo by Phan Nhat
On Phu Quy Island in central Vietnam, accommodation facilities operated at full capacity due to an overload of visitors, said Nam, a local tour guide.
“Everywhere you go is packed with people,” Nam said, adding that visitor numbers were three to four times higher than during the same holiday last year.
Video by Anh Nam Phu Quy
