10km gridlock hits southern Vietnamese expressway amid weekend travel rush

The gridlock occurred on the expressway heading from Ho Chi Minh City toward the provinces of Lam Dong and Khanh Hoa, and the coastal area of Vung Tau.

The traffic jam began building up near Long Phuoc Tollgate and extended continuously to An Phu Interchange, with thousands of vehicles inching forward or remaining almost completely stationary at times.

The gridlock intensified as weekend travel demand surged during the summer season.

Many families departing Ho Chi Minh City for short vacations contributed to an unusually high volume of cars, overwhelming both the expressway and its connecting arterial roads.

Major surrounding routes feeding into the eastern gateway also became heavily burdened.

On Vo Chi Cong Road, long queues formed near Phu Huu Roundabout, where vehicles waited to access the expressway.

Similarly, traffic on Mai Chi Tho Boulevard and its junction with Vo Nguyen Giap Boulevard increased sharply.

To ease the situation, traffic police officers adopted a series of dynamic traffic control measures.

At Phu Huu Roundabout, officers alternately opened and closed access to the expressway to regulate the flow of incoming vehicles.

Similar control measures were applied at the intersection between Vo Nguyen Giap Boulevard and Mai Chi Tho Boulevard, helping to prevent excessive vehicle buildup on the mainline.

Officers also urged drivers to consider alternative routes to reduce pressure on the expressway.

Motorists traveling from the Saigon Bridge area toward Mai Chi Tho Boulevard were advised to continue along Vo Nguyen Giap Boulevard toward Dong Nai Bridge and then connect to National Highways 51 or 1.

Meanwhile, drivers using Vo Chi Cong Road were encouraged to continue toward Phu Huu Bridge, follow Road D1 to Vo Nguyen Giap Boulevard, and turn right toward Dong Nai Bridge.