Hoang Van Thu Street near Tan Son Nhat airport was packed at 4 p.m. Vehicles were moving inch by inch amid a 500 m tailback.
Duong Tuan Anh, who lives near the airport, walks with a suitcase to avoid the traffic jam. He was flying to his hometown in Quang Nam Province in central Vietnam.
National Highway 1 in Binh Chanh District was congested as workers left factories and joined the early Tet exodus.
The Lunar New Year is on Feb. 10, and the official holidays begin on Feb. 8. But many people have decided to take an early break combining the weekend with the holidays.
A motorbike carrying Tet decorations and hampers.
Hung, 35, who was with his wife on a motorbike en route to their hometown in the Mekong Delta’s Dong Thap Province, said they would face even worse congestion if they leave later.
