Travel demands increase for Tet

Travel demands are already becoming a headache for bus station owners in the run up to Tet (Lunar New Year), leaving some companies in Ho Chi Minh City concerned that they won\'t be able to cope with the rush, despite the fact the holiday is still seven weeks away.

An estimated 1.3-1.4 million passengers are expected to travel by bus from the city during Tet, 15 per cent higher than last year.

Mien Dong and Mien Tay bus stations are likely to draw between 45,000 and 80,000 passengers daily in the days before Tet.

Mien Dong bus station had planned to sell bus tickets from January 4 but a number of transport companies have already put tickets on sale, with companies such as Thanh Ban and Sao Vang already sold out.

"The number of passengers to book seats on high-quality coaches was large," said an owner of a transport company.

Vo Thi Tham, of central Quang Ngai District, said that she had to take time off from work to try and purchase a ticket, but despite the fact she arrived at the ticket office at 6:30am, they were still sold out.

"To reduce the rush of passengers to bus and train stations to buy tickets for Tet, the city\'s Transport Department allowed them to start selling tickets earlier than scheduled," said Duong Hong Thanh, deputy director of the department.

An additional 210 coaches will be put into service to cope with the holiday exodus at Mien Dong and Mien Tay from January 29-31.