Many trains and buses are full on National Day September 2nd

Train passengers at Hanoi station. Photo: Giang Huy

On August 22, Ms. Ha Linh in Cau Giay District, Hanoi, went online to buy train tickets for her family to return to her hometown in Vinh City on September 2. She was surprised to see that many trains were sold out on August 30, with only a few seats left on train SE7, but each empty seat was in a different compartment. She called several familiar bus companies but all were sold out on that day.

"Train and bus tickets are sold out, so my family has to consider renting a private car to go home even though it's more expensive and not as good as taking the train," she said.

On the railway ticketing website, the route from Hanoi to Vinh on August 30 is almost fully booked. On August 31, there are only sleeper seats left on train NA1, departing from Hanoi at nearly 10 p.m.

The Hanoi - Da Nang route only has a few sleeper tickets and seats left on train SE7 on August 30. On August 31, trains to Da Nang have more seats. The price for a 4-bed sleeper on the first floor is the highest, at nearly 1.1-1.4 million VND/trip depending on the train brand and departure date.

In the opposite direction, train NA4 still has many seats on September 3, departing from Vinh station at 20:49. On September 4, from Vinh to Hanoi, there are still many seats on trains SE6, SE8, SE2, NA2. There are also many seats on the Dong Hoi/Da Nang to Hanoi route on these days.

In the North, the Hanoi - Lao Cai route is sold out on August 30-31. In the opposite direction to Hanoi, there are still tickets left on September 3-4. There are still many tickets left on the Hanoi - Hai Phong train during the holiday. On September 2, in addition to the regular train pairs, Hanoi Railway Transport Joint Stock Company will operate additional trains on the routes to Lao Cai, Hai Phong, Vinh, Thanh Hoa, and Dong Hoi.

To date, the unit has sold more than 26,000 out of a total of 85,000 train tickets for both directions, reaching about 30%. Trains that are full are usually from Hanoi to the provinces before the holidays, while the return trip is empty.

In the South, the demand for travel to tourist destinations has increased, so many trains to Nha Trang, Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa... are full of sleeper compartments on August 30-31. However, there are still many air-conditioned soft seat tickets left.

A representative of Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company said that during the holiday, in addition to regular trains, the unit will add more trains from Saigon station to Nha Trang station, Quy Nhon and vice versa from August 29 to September 3. In addition, the Nha Trang - Da Nang route will also be reinforced with the SE41/SE42 train pair from August 30 to September 2.

During the holidays, the railway still applies ticket discounts for policy beneficiaries such as: war invalids, people with disabilities, the elderly, children, students. In addition, when buying round-trip tickets, customers receive a 5% discount on the return price for individuals and 7% for groups of 20 or more.

Passenger buses increase trips, no price increase

Similar to the train, some bus companies on the route from Hanoi to Nghe An and Ha Tinh on August 30-31 have almost sold out due to pre-booking by passengers. A representative of Van Minh bus company said that the company has been selling tickets since August 8 and has been sold out for the 3 days before and after the holiday. Every day, the bus company has 37 buses operating at Nuoc Ngam station, operating 74 trips, and is expected to increase 3-5 trips on peak days.

"On September 2nd, there are 4 days off so many people go to work, students take advantage of going back to their hometown, not many tourists because they have traveled sporadically during the summer," said a representative of this bus company.

Passengers at Nuoc Ngam bus station, Hanoi

Meanwhile, passenger buses to the northern mountainous provinces such as Lao Cai, Dien Bien, Son La, Cao Bang... still have many seats during the peak season. Mr. Do Van Bang, Director of Minh Thanh Phat Company (Sao Viet Car), said that customers have booked tickets to Sa Pa, Lao Cai about 50% of the seats on September 2. On peak days, the company will mobilize reserve vehicles, increasing the number of seats by about 30% compared to normal days.

There are many buses operating on the Lao Cai - Sa Pa route, so passengers do not have to worry about running out of tickets and often book tickets late. Major bus companies such as Sao Viet, Ha Son Hai Van... all commit to not increasing prices during peak times, although many buses have to run empty one way. Prices range from 300,000 - 500,000 VND/bed depending on the type of bus and bed.

On short routes from Hanoi to Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, and Thai Binh, representatives of several transport companies said the number of pre-booked passengers reached 40-50%.

According to Mr. Pham Manh Hung, Director of Hanoi Bus Station Joint Stock Company, the peak time at the station is concentrated on August 30-31 and September 3-4. The company has proposed to increase about 700 vehicles, of which My Dinh station will have 400 vehicles, Giap Bat 220 and Gia Lam 80.

"Currently, no bus company has announced an increase in ticket prices during this time," Mr. Hung said, adding that the unit has requested transport businesses to prevent passengers from boarding without tickets and charging higher prices than the regulated price.

In the South, many short routes from Ho Chi Minh City to provinces or tourist destinations such as Can Tho, Da Lat, Phan Thiet, Nha Trang... are also in short supply of sleeper tickets.

Passengers waiting to board the bus at the new Eastern station, Thu Duc City

A representative of Phuong Trang bus company - a company with routes operating at the new Eastern station (Thu Duc city) and Western station (Binh Tan district) - said that like every year, the demand for tourists traveling during the holidays is very high. The company is allowing customers to book online but some routes do not have many tickets left during peak days.

"We have mobilized 70 more passenger cars and increased trips on some routes with high travel demand, bringing the total number of vehicles in operation to nearly 1,600," said a representative of Phuong Trang Futa Buslines, adding that depending on the situation, vehicles will be transferred from routes with few passengers to routes with many passengers during peak days.

This year, the number of passengers passing through Mien Tay bus station is forecast to increase dramatically due to the advantage of the short distance. The total number of passengers passing through the station on National Day is estimated to reach nearly 205,000 people, an increase of 15% over the same period last year and double the normal days. Of which, the highest concentration of passengers will be on August 30-31, with approximately 54,500 and 59,000 people, respectively. The station will mobilize more vehicles, with more than 1,800 departures per day.

Although the number of passengers is expected to increase, bus companies at the station still have many tickets, especially seats. "Because the routes from Ho Chi Minh City to the West are short and travel time is fast, passengers often buy tickets and take the bus right before the holidays," said a representative of Mien Tay bus station, adding that many people have registered online with major bus companies.

At the new Eastern Bus Station, the number of passengers is expected to be around 36,300, nearly double the same period last year. A station representative said that although the expressway system to the Central and Northern regions is developing rapidly, many people tend to travel by private car for short trips. However, the demand for passenger cars is still high because companies are improving the quality of service.

"In case the number of passengers suddenly increases beyond the capacity of transport units, the station will mobilize additional vehicles running on contract, tourism, and buses to relieve the burden," said a bus station representative.

TB (according to VnExpress)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/nhieu-chang-tau-xe-kin-cho-dip-quoc-khanh-2-9-391122.html