Ho Chi Minh City gateways snarled for hours as bus stations add trips for Sept. 2 holiday
On Aug. 30, the first day of the Sept. 2 National Day holiday, roads at Ho Chi Minh City’s gateways became crowded. It was not only private cars and passenger buses carrying people returning to their hometowns or traveling, but also large numbers of container trucks and cargo trucks moving in and out of ports, causing congestion on many road stretches.
At around 5 p.m., on Võ Nguyên Giáp Road in the section passing Rạch Chiếc Bridge (Thủ Đức City), traffic heading toward the An Phú intersection moved slowly, mainly trucks, container trucks and passenger buses, and at times came to a complete stop. On the Cát Lái overpass, congestion persisted, with even short distances taking a very long time to get through.
From morning to afternoon, Võ Chí Công and Nguyễn Thị Định roads were also continuously packed with vehicles. These routes already see heavy container truck traffic to and from the port, and with the added surge of residents going out or returning to their hometowns, hours-long congestion became even more likely.
Meanwhile, around the old Miền Đông Bus Station, the new Miền Đông Bus Station and Miền Tây Bus Station, vehicles moved in and out busily, but no crowding occurred thanks to traffic guidance by staff. In the Bình Triệu 1 Bridge area, work to raise clearance at times disrupted traffic, forcing vehicles to detour via Bình Triệu 2 Bridge. On National Highway 13 toward the Central Highlands, traffic was heavier than usual and moved slowly, but had not reached a standstill.
According to a representative of the old Miền Đông Bus Station, on Aug. 29 more than 17,000 passengers arrived at the station, higher than on ordinary days but not a sudden spike. Aug. 30 was also fairly busy, but there was no congestion. The station has prepared plans to add buses and manpower as the peak period begins.
At Miền Tây Bus Station, vehicle traffic is forecast to rise about 5% and passenger numbers more than 7% from the same period last year. Aug. 30 is considered the peak day, with more than 2,200 departing trips serving about 60,000 passengers. The current number of vehicles and drivers is sufficient to meet travel demand.
The new Miền Đông Bus Station also expects about 13,500 passengers with 550 departing buses during the day, a slight increase from last year.
Have you made any plans for the Sept. 2 holiday yet?
Vehicles line up bumper-to-bumper on the Cát Lái overpass (from Rạch Chiếc Bridge toward the An Phú intersection, former Thủ Đức City)
At around 5 p.m., on Võ Nguyên Giáp Road in the section passing Rạch Chiếc Bridge (Thủ Đức City), traffic heading toward the An Phú intersection moved slowly, mainly trucks, container trucks and passenger buses, and at times came to a complete stop. On the Cát Lái overpass, congestion persisted, with even short distances taking a very long time to get through.
From morning to afternoon, Võ Chí Công and Nguyễn Thị Định roads were also continuously packed with vehicles. These routes already see heavy container truck traffic to and from the port, and with the added surge of residents going out or returning to their hometowns, hours-long congestion became even more likely.
Long lines of container trucks, cargo trucks and passenger buses on Rạch Chiếc Bridge on the afternoon of Aug. 30
Meanwhile, around the old Miền Đông Bus Station, the new Miền Đông Bus Station and Miền Tây Bus Station, vehicles moved in and out busily, but no crowding occurred thanks to traffic guidance by staff. In the Bình Triệu 1 Bridge area, work to raise clearance at times disrupted traffic, forcing vehicles to detour via Bình Triệu 2 Bridge. On National Highway 13 toward the Central Highlands, traffic was heavier than usual and moved slowly, but had not reached a standstill.
According to a representative of the old Miền Đông Bus Station, on Aug. 29 more than 17,000 passengers arrived at the station, higher than on ordinary days but not a sudden spike. Aug. 30 was also fairly busy, but there was no congestion. The station has prepared plans to add buses and manpower as the peak period begins.
At Miền Tây Bus Station, vehicle traffic is forecast to rise about 5% and passenger numbers more than 7% from the same period last year. Aug. 30 is considered the peak day, with more than 2,200 departing trips serving about 60,000 passengers. The current number of vehicles and drivers is sufficient to meet travel demand.
The new Miền Đông Bus Station also expects about 13,500 passengers with 550 departing buses during the day, a slight increase from last year.
From the start of the Sept. 2 holiday, the area around the old Miền Đông Bus Station was crowded but not gridlocked
Heavy traffic on National Highway 13
At times, traffic came to a standstill on the Cát Lái overpass
Congestion occurred at times and was stabilized through traffic diversion by authorities
Have you made any plans for the Sept. 2 holiday yet?
Source: Tuổi Trẻ
