Hanoi and HCMC roads saw severe traffic jams for hours on Friday evening and Saturday morning as people made an exodus at the start of the four-day holidays.

Pham Hong Quy in Hanoi’s downtown Hai Bai Trung District left for the northern province of Phu Tho after work Friday, and said the trip took him more than five hours as against the usual two.

"It took me two hours to reach the elevated ring road and another two hours to reach its end."

Nguyen Van Chuong said it took him 10 hours to reach his hometown in the central province of Ha Tinh, double the usual five.

"I had to spend three hours on the road and another hour to pass the toll booth. It was tiring."

Traffic congestion is seen on Hanoi third ring road on April 30, 2022 as people leave the city. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh

Drivers reported that the third ring road in Hanoi was gridlocked until 1 a.m. Saturday, and again by 7 a.m. the next day as people left the city for their hometowns or to travel at the start of the Reunification Day – Labor Day holidays. There will be a four-day holiday for Reunification Day and Labor Day (April 30 and May 1) since they both fall on the weekend.

The traffic police said vehicles were still "crawling" on the third ring road on Saturday morning, and they have been directing vehicles to take the lower road to reduce the congestion.

A toll booth on Cau Gie – Ninh Binh Highway had to stop collections for 52 minutes so vehicles can travel non-stop to ease the congestion.

The Noi Bai – Lao Cai Expressway, which connects Hanoi’s airport with the northern provinces, saw traffic jams by 8 a.m.

In HCMC, vehicles started to fill the eastern roads as people traveled to Dong Nai and Ba Ria–Vung Tau provinces and the Central Highlands.

The Long Phuong toll booth between HCMC and Dong Nai also stopped collecting toll from 5:45 a.m. to clear the traffic.

Drivers are seen in a traffic jam near Cat Lai Ferry in Ho Chi Minh City on April 30, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Gia Minh

Normalcy resumed at around 7:20 a.m.

Nearby Nguyen Thi Dinh Road saw motorbikes stuck since early morning and the situation worsened by 8 a.m.

The Cat Lai ferries are expected to handle 75,000 passengers on Saturday, a record number.

Source: VNE