The number of people who want to travel or visit their home around Vietnam will be significantly increased during the next two weeks as the two big holidays are approaching.
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| At Hanoi Railway Station, dozens of thousands of bookings are made everyday. |
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| Hundreds of buses will be added to serve the increasing demand. |
The number of people who want to travel or visit their home around Vietnam will be significantly increased during the next two weeks as the two big holidays are approaching.
“Thanks to the coming long holiday starting from April 30 to May 3, the number of passengers have gone up by 4 times in comparison with normal weekends,” said Phung Thi Ly Ha, Deputy Director of Hanoi Railway Station, adding that 17 groups will depart from Hanoi Railway Station on April 29.
At Hanoi Railway Station, dozens of thousands of bookings are made everyday.
“The number of passengers has increased to 15,000 per day for Hung King's Death Anniversary holiday, and 20,000 per day for the upcoming April 30 holiday. Reclining-seat train tickets have been sold out for all peak days,” Ha said.
According to the official, the ticket fares for Thong Nhat train will increase during the two periods, April 29 to May 4 and June 1 to August 15, applying mainly to passengers travelling for 800 km or below in carriages with air conditioning. For carriages without air conditioning or distances of more than 800 km, the fares will not be changed.
However, passengers are recommended to buy tickets directly from the station to avoid being overcharged by brokers.
Nguyen Nhu Truc, Director of Gia Lam Bus Station said, “The number of passengers will possibly go up by 160-180% against normal days during the two holidays. We have coordinated with transport agencies to arrange enough buses to meet our customer demands. However, we are concerned about traffic congestion. Buses returning to the station between their trips may be delayed."
At the moment, 520 buses are departed from the station everyday. The number will increase to 600-620 during the holidays. One-way fare for routes Hanoi - Mong Cai (Quang Ninh Province) is VND 150,000 (USD7.9 USD) per person, Hanoi - Bai Chay (Quang Ninh Province) is VND 55,000 (USD2.9) per person, Hanoi - Hai Phong is VND 48,000 (USD2.5) per person, and Hanoi - Thai Binh is VND 55,000 (USD2.9) per person.
The amount of passengers is expected to double at My Dinh Bus Station during the holidays. Officials estimated that there will be about 15,000 passengers during peak days, April 23-24 and April 29-30.
About 120 additional buses per day will be arranged to meet the demand of passengers in the upcoming weeks, for busy routes from Hanoi to Phu Tho, Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Cam Pha, Cao Bang, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and a few others.
“Our drivers have signed contracts in which they are to follow our travel regulations strictly. Buses are not to carry more passengers that they are allowed to. Drivers are prohibited to consume alcoholic beverages during the travel period. Buses must be equipped with fire prevention facilities, and flammable items are prohibited on the bus. We will coordinate with the traffic police and other related authorities from all provinces to supervise the bus drivers. The drivers will be fired if they violate these regulations,” said Nguyen Manh Tien, Director of My Dinh Bus Station.
According to Nguyen Tat Thanh, Director of Giap Bat Bus Station, there will be an increase of 30% of passengers against normal days in his station. About 120-150 additional busese per day will be put into use to meet the demands of customers during peak days. At the moment, bus fares are to remain the same.
