In Hanoi, vehicles move slowly over more than two km on a section of Ring Road 3 at 3 p.m.
The road intersects with several expressways that connects Hanoi with other nothern localities.
Vietnamese people will take a four day break from Saturday, Aug. 31 to Tuesday, Sept. 3 for the National Day. Many migrant workers in the country's biggest cities take the occasion to visit their hometowns.
Nguyen Xien and Nghiem Xuan Yem streets are packed with vehicles head to Phap Van - Cau Gie Expressway to the south of Hanoi.
The venues are often congested ahead of and at the end of long holidays.
Giai Phong Street that hosts several major bus stations saw a sudden increase in the number of cars and buses at around 5 p.m.
Pham Minh Quan, a police officer at an intersection with Phap Van expressway, said the number of vehicles increased significantly in the afternoon, and his unit has deployed twice the number of staff to the streets to handle possible congestion.
Giap Bat, one the largest bus stations in Hanoi, was not so crowded on Friday afternoon, as drivers said many people could have traveled home with personal or rented cars.
In Ho Chi Minh City, thousands of people flocked to the western gateway leading to Mekong Delta provinces at 3 p.m., causing congestion around An Lac Circle in Binh Tan District.
National Highway 1A is packed with vehicles on the direction heading to the Mekong Delta, and empty the opposite way.
Many people ride their motorbikes home.
"I tried to take off early today but have been stuck in traffic and not able to leave HCMC for nearly an hour now," said Ho Thi Bich as she was traveling home to Tien Giang Province.
Long lines of vehicles moving through An Phu intersection in Thu Duc City, the main gateway to the east of HCMC, after 5 p.m.
The intesection leads to HCMC - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway and Cat Lai Port.
Heavy traffic on both ways of HCMC - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expessway, which connects HCMC with beach towns Vung Tau and Phan Thiet.
Cat Lai Ferry that connects HCMC with Dong Nai Province is slightly more crowded than normal.
The ferry is expected to serve around 55,000 people on Friday, surpassing normal number by more than 10,000, but the number might increase to around 70,000 on Saturday, according to the unit managing the ferry.
