On February 11, the international arrivals area, particularly gates A1 and A2, remained packed, with almost no empty seats.
Peak hours for international arrivals are typically between 10 pm and midnight.
Many families arrived hours before scheduled landings, while others moved upstairs to watch through the glass panels as passengers streamed into the terminal.
At baggage claim, congestion often built up shortly after flights landed, with crowds gathering at exit doors and scanning flight information boards for updates.
Security staff said the international terminal has been busy day and night for the past two weeks. Late on February 11, flights from the US, South Korea and Japan landed in quick succession, adding to the bustle.
To make it easier to spot relatives in the crowd, many families queued at the exit, some holding signs with names.
Security forces were deployed to keep people out of passenger walkways and prevent overcrowding.
Reunions were marked by hugs, smiles and emotional conversations.
One resident, Hoang Nam, said hours of waiting disappeared the moment he saw his loved one after a long separation.
For Ngoc Mai’s family, Tet 2026 is a special reunion, with her grandmother and aunt returning to Vietnam for the holiday after many years living in the US.
The airport expects to handle an average of 940 flights a day during Tet 2026, serving about 145,000 passengers. This is a 25 per cent increase compared with the current flight schedule and a 7 per cent rise compared with the same period during Tet 2025.
The busiest days before the Lunar New Year are forecast to be February 13 and February 14, with about 1,015 flights a day. After Tet, the peak is expected on February 22 and February 23, with about 1,027 flights a day.
