At 5.30 pm on July 19, traffic was moving slowly along several stretches of the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway. As the afternoon wore on, the volume of vehicles continued to rise, causing congestion across multiple sections of the route.
From the Long Thanh bridge area to beyond the Long Phuoc toll station in Long Phuoc Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, thousands of cars were lined up bumper to bumper. At many points, vehicles could move only a few metres at a time, pushing journey times to several times longer than usual.
A long tailback formed on the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway on the afternoon of July 19 (Photo: Hoang Huong).
Not only private cars but also many coaches were caught in the lengthy queue of traffic.
According to the authorities, congestion on the route frequently occurs at weekends, when the number of vehicles returning to central Ho Chi Minh City from areas such as Vung Tau Ward in Ho Chi Minh City, Lam Dong Province and Dong Nai City rises sharply.
In addition, several expansion works under way along the route have also affected the carrying capacity of the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway.
Cars and coaches edged forward slowly as they crossed Long Thanh bridge (Photo: Hoang Huong).
By 6.30 pm, the line of vehicles still stretched across several sections, with traffic moving slowly through the Long Thanh bridge area.
Authorities advised motorists planning to use the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway to monitor traffic conditions closely, choose suitable departure times or consider alternative routes to ease pressure on the road and shorten travel times.