Early returners still trapped in heavy jams before Vietnam's National Day holiday ends

Traffic was heavily congested around Long Thanh Bridge, Long Phuoc Toll Station and the Beltway No. 3 interchange, with vehicles moving slowly toward An Phu interchange.

The area around Long Thanh Bridge, which connects Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai Province, was one of the main bottlenecks, as traffic often becomes congested there during holidays and Tet when vehicle volumes surge.

After passing the bridge, vehicles continued to move slowly through Long Phuoc Toll Station toward An Phu interchange.

A driver returning to Ho Chi Minh City said his family had left their holiday destination early to avoid heavy traffic but still became stuck on the expressway.

“We returned early to avoid traffic jams, but we still found ourselves in a long line of vehicles on the expressway. We had to slow down after traveling a short distance, and at times we were forced to stop,” the driver said.

Another bottleneck occurred at the Beltway No. 3 interchange, where a large volume of vehicles from Dong Nai converged toward Ho Chi Minh City, causing traffic to back up further.

The congestion was also exacerbated by ongoing construction on the section between Long Phuoc Toll Station and Beltway No. 3, where vehicles are subject to speed restrictions.

As the number of vehicles heading toward the city increased, traffic police forces were deployed to regulate traffic and restrict vehicles from entering the expressway when necessary.

At interchanges connecting to the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway, including National Highway 1 in the Dau Giay area, the Dau Giay - Phan Thiet expressway, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway, National Highway 51 and Road 319, traffic police regulated vehicle flows based on conditions on the main route.

Vehicles were restricted from entering the expressway when congestion was heavy ahead to prevent more vehicles from piling onto the main route.

However, the surge in vehicles returning to Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday afternoon made traffic control more difficult, as vehicles from eastern provinces and cities continued to pour onto the route, according to traffic police.

People returning to Ho Chi Minh City were advised to monitor traffic conditions, consider alternative routes and follow directions from traffic police at interchanges.

Meanwhile, traffic at the city's western gateway remained relatively smooth.

At Western Bus Station, the number of passengers returning to Ho Chi Minh City began to increase on Tuesday afternoon, with buses continuously dropping off passengers carrying luggage and personal belongings.

Many passengers quickly called ride-hailing services or relatives to pick them up after getting off their buses.

Traffic on National Highway 1 through Binh Chanh Commune toward central Ho Chi Minh City was relatively heavy but did not experience significant congestion, according to Tuoi Tre's observations.

The old Eastern Bus Station, meanwhile, remained quiet on Tuesday afternoon, in contrast to the crowds seen there at the beginning of the National Day holiday.