At noon Feb. 4 the southern gateway, the exit to the Phap Van - Cau Gie Expressway, began to be crowded. Tet (Lunar New Year), Vietnam’s biggest and most important festival, will last from Feb. 8 to 14, 2024. The traditional festival will peak on Feb. 10.
Beneath Ring Road 3 near Giai Phong Street, people with belongings left Hanoi as the weather turned sunny. Instead of taking buses, many people chose to ride motorbikes home.
The Lunar New Year holidays begin on Feb. 8, but many people are returning home early to celebrate.
Vehicles on Ngoc Hoi Street head for the old National Highway 1A. This road has been congested since the Kitchen Gods Day (Feb. 2, 23rd of 12th lunar month).
The city’s southern gateway often sees a large number of vehicles because it is en route to northern and central provinces such as Hung Yen, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, and Thai Binh.
Giai Phong Street near the intersection of Nuoc Ngam Bus Station sees a 400-meter tailback at 11:45 a.m. The traffic police said congestion has increased in the last few days. The number of people on the roads exiting Hanoi peaks between noon and evening. Traffic police has been strengthened 24/24 to prevent congestion and keep vehicles moving.
Motorbikes weave alongside a long line of cars on Phan Trong Tue Street near the old National Highway 1A as the line of vehicles extended to the To Bridge. This road is narrow and receives a large number of heavy vehicles that avoid Ring Road 3.
In contrast to the bustling scene on the roads, My Dinh Bus Station is quiet.
Phong, a driver on the Phu Tho route, says he waited for nearly 45 minutes but got no passengers. The reason is that people are choosing to drive personal cars with strangers.
At Nuoc Ngam Bus Station, nearly 200 sleeper buses plying long routes to places such as Nghe An and Thanh Hoa provinces and Da Nang City line up hoping for passengers.
According to the city Department of Transport, the peak travel period is usually between the 23nd and 29th of the 12th lunar month.
Some 2,500 additional buses are expected to run during Tet.
