Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport is severely over-crowded in the run-up to Tet.
The airport has received almost 100,000 passengers a day, up 10% against last year, including around 10,000 Vietnamese from abroad who are returning for lunar new year visits.
It can currently take up to an hour just to complete check-in procedures.
Thousands of people waiting to check-in
The chaos is also being made worse by large family greetings which have added to the numbers of people packing the terminal.
Car are also being fined between VND300,000-500,000 for parking in the wrong places.
Passengers for international flights are advised to finish check-in procedures online and the airport has arranged eight tables to better serve passengers. Airlines have also sent more staff to help with check-in procedures.
Over 20 hectares of land near the airport will be handed to the Ministry of Transport Ministry as the military remove their presence at the airport in the near future, helping expand civilian airport services.
The government is also planning the construction of Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai Province in the future as part of efforts to help reduce congestion at Tan Son Nhat Airport.
Work on the USD15 billion Long Thanh International Airport project is slated to start in 2018.
People elbowing one another out to welcome their relatives
Some families bring with them food while waiting their relatives
