Train, bus and plane tickets to Nghe An sold out during National Day holiday

Tickets are scarce, prices are rising

This year's National Day holiday, officials, civil servants, public employees and workers in state agencies will have 4 consecutive days off from Friday (September 1) to Monday (September 4). Due to the long holiday, the travel demand of people has increased dramatically, especially Nghe An children returning home, and many tourists have chosen Nghe An as their destination.

Train tickets from Ho Chi Minh City to Nghe An were sold out on August 30 at the online ticket purchase page of Vietnam Railways. Photo: Quang An

After failing to find an economy class flight ticket from Ho Chi Minh City to Nghe An on September 2, Mr. Phan Van Thong, Thanh Yen Commune, Thanh Chuong District, had to choose other means of transportation such as train and sleeper bus. However, finding a ticket was not easy.

Mr. Thong shared: “I couldn’t arrange the April 30 - May 1 holidays, so I took advantage of this National Day to return home. However, the plane tickets were too expensive, the economy class was sold out, only business class was left, it was beyond my ability, so I had to find a train or bus to travel. Although the travel time was longer, the ticket price was suitable for the budget of workers like me…”.

Because they could not find economy class tickets, many people chose to take the train to Nghe An. Photo: Quang An

Through a survey of the Vietnam Railways' train ticket sales page, all trains to Nghe An were basically sold out from August 30 to September 1. For example, on the Ho Chi Minh City - Vinh (Nghe An) route on August 30, 5 trains including SE2, SE4, SE6, SE8, SE10 were all sold out of regular class tickets (hard seats), and had to add extra seats. Other ticket classes such as soft seats with air conditioning, sleepers, etc. were also almost sold out despite the higher prices.

A representative of Vinh Railway Transport Station said: Due to the long holiday, the number of passengers going to and from Vinh station increased 5 times compared to normal days, with an estimated 4,000 passengers getting on and off the train during the holiday. Not only are there a shortage of one-way tickets, on September 3-4 (near the end of the holiday), many train tickets have been booked by people, including many passengers choosing round-trip tickets in advance. Due to the high number of passengers, Vietnam Railways has also prepared a plan to increase the number of trains to serve people's travel needs.

The choice of traveling by car is equally exciting. Contacting the bus companies on key routes such as Vinh - Hanoi , Vinh - Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh - Da Nang, Vinh - Hue... all have basically been fully booked on August 31. If passengers want to travel by car, they must arrange to go earlier on August 29 - 30.

Passenger buses are ready to serve people's travel needs during the holiday. Photo: Quang An

A representative of Bac Vinh Bus Station said: Currently, nearly 200 vehicles registered to operate at the station are ready to run continuously during the holiday to serve the travel needs of the people. In particular, most customers book tickets via phone numbers and social networking sites of the bus companies, not many people come to the station to book tickets directly like in previous years. If there is an overload situation, the unit also has a plan to increase and connect more vehicles to better serve the travel needs of the people during the holiday.

The most scarce are air tickets during the National Day holiday, most of the economy class tickets to and from Nghe An on flights are full. Especially on August 31 and September 1, only business class tickets are left, so to get economy class tickets during peak days, people have to "hunt for tickets" for about 1 month.

Passengers check in crowded at Vinh airport during holidays. Photo: Quang An

A representative of Vinh International Airport said: The number of passengers booking air tickets during the National Day holiday increased compared to normal days. Among them, routes such as Vinh - Hanoi, Vinh - Ho Chi Minh City are always the most crowded... The number of flights taking off and landing also fluctuates from 50 - 60 times/day, increased to fully meet the travel needs of the people.

Ensuring traffic safety during the holidays

With the number of passengers skyrocketing, ensuring passenger safety during the holidays is always a top priority. Mr. Cao Ngoc Tuan - Head of Vinh Railway Transport Station said: If Vinh station normally receives about 500 - 1,000 passengers, then during holidays like the upcoming National Day, it always fluctuates from 3,000 - 4,000 passengers, which is both a joy for railway transport but at the same time, the responsibility of serving a large number of passengers must also be more complete.

“The unit will mobilize 100% of the staff at the station to be present on time during the holidays to guide people through procedures, support moving and transporting belongings, instruct them to stand on the correct tracks and train numbers... so that the movement of passengers is always safe and fast,” Mr. Tuan emphasized.

The number of train passengers during the holiday increased four times compared to normal days. Photo: Quang An

A representative of Vinh International Airport said: Due to the high number of passengers, airlines with scheduled flights at Vinh Airport have plans to increase flights to serve people during the holiday. Although the number of passengers is many times higher than normal days, the unit has a plan to ensure flight safety, security and order for people, especially the check-in and baggage check process will ensure safety and speed.

Faced with the increasing travel demand of people, the Provincial People's Committee issued Official Dispatch No. 22/CD-UBND, dated August 28, 2023 on ensuring traffic order and safety to serve the travel needs of people during the National Day holiday on September 2 and the opening of the new school year 2023-2024.

The dispatch stated that during the National Day holiday on September 2, 2023 (from September 1 to September 4), traffic volume is forecasted to increase, with potential risks of traffic accidents and traffic congestion. In order to better serve the travel needs of the people during the National Day holiday on September 2, 2023; the peak month of traffic safety for students going to school and to implement Official Dispatch No. 750/CD-TTg dated August 18, 2023 of the Prime Minister, the Provincial People's Committee requests the Department of Transport; Provincial Police; Department of Education and Training; Universities and Colleges; Department of Information and Communications, Provincial Radio and Television Station, Nghe An Newspaper; Standing Committee of the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee; People's Committees of districts, cities, towns... to strictly implement measures to ensure traffic safety, widely propagate to people and tourists in the area during the holiday.

Passengers check in at Vinh airport. Photo: Quang An

Source: https://baonghean.vn/chay-ve-tau-xe-may-bay-den-nghe-an-trong-dip-le-quoc-khanh-post275517.html