Still worried about passengers going to the wrong terminal at Tan Son Nhat, leading to the risk of delayed or missed flights

Passengers take a shuttle bus from Terminal T3 to Terminal T2 Tan Son Nhat - Photo: CONG TRUNG

Previously, Vietnam Airlines had tested flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Van Don at T3 since the end of April.

However, many passengers are still worried about going to the wrong station when traveling, leading to the risk of being late, missing flights and putting significant pressure on the connecting infrastructure between stations.

In reality, there are many passengers who are confused, especially when Pacific Airlines and Vasco use the same flight code VN as Vietnam Airlines.

Need to improve information system and signs

Tuoi Tre's observations over a two-hour period at the transfer point between terminals showed that many passengers were rushing to get to the wrong place, leading to the risk of being late or missing their flight. Some people were flying for the first time and saw the symbol "T3" on their tickets but did not know that this was the domestic terminal, while T1 and T3 both serve domestic services and T2 serves international services.

During the two hours we were at the bus stop between T3 and T1 - T2, we witnessed dozens of passengers rushing to get to the wrong station; many people were dragging bulky suitcases, their faces filled with worry.

Mr. NTBinh (Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City) shared his experience of almost missing his flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Cam Ranh ( Khanh Hoa ) because he was sure that Vietnam Airlines had transferred all domestic flights to terminal T3.

So Mr. Binh went straight to the new terminal, leisurely completed the procedures and took the opportunity to walk around the spacious and airy terminal. "When I went through security, the staff said that the Cam Ranh leg still departed from T1 and asked me to go there immediately. That was when I was shocked. I had to hire a service car to go back to T1, luckily I was in time to catch the plane" - Mr. Binh recounted.

Meanwhile, Mr. TTDung (Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City) said that the sign system at Terminal T3 still had many shortcomings, causing him to almost miss his flight. When he rode his motorbike into the terminal area, he saw a sign leading to the motorbike parking lot, so he followed it to the overpass.

However, when he arrived, he encountered a barrier indicating that the parking lot was not finished yet and had to drive all the way to the end of the overpass before turning around to find a parking lot.

According to Mr. Dung, when the terminal is not completed, it is necessary to temporarily cover or re-post inaccurate signs to avoid confusion and waste time for passengers. In addition, he also reported the situation of airlines changing departure gates without timely notification, while the T3 terminal is large and has many floors, making it difficult for passengers to find their way.

Speaking to us, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thien Tong - an aviation expert - said that to overcome the confusion, it is necessary to urgently complete the sign system, transparently and consistently announce the operating schedule at the terminals, and reorganize the flow of traffic between the terminals in a more reasonable way. "This should be the top priority in an aviation project worth tens of thousands of billions of VND," said Mr. Tong.

Passengers follow the signs to the T3 Terminal Parking Lot (up the left side of the elevated road) and when they arrive, they are barred from entering because the interior is not yet completed - Photo: TTD

Shuttle buses need to be more convenient

According to Tuoi Tre's records, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on May 12, the shuttle bus routes between terminals T3 - T2 - T1 at Tan Son Nhat airport operated continuously. However, the arrangement was not really reasonable, especially in the context of the large number of passengers arriving at the wrong terminal, bulky luggage and suboptimal travel time.

A VinBus electric bus with license plate 50H-808.xx departs from Terminal T3, following the outward route via Phan Thuc Duyen - Hau Giang - Truong Son street, taking about 13 minutes to reach Terminal T2 in clear road conditions. After about 10 minutes of waiting for passengers, the bus continues to Terminal T1 - where there are many domestic flights.

Therefore, many passengers have to drag their luggage and walk an additional 300 - 500m from T2 to T1 instead of waiting for the bus to depart because they are afraid of missing the bus. Notably, in the afternoon, when it rains, the traffic congestion at the toll station of T3 becomes more serious.

Tuoi Tre reported that buses had to queue up to pass through the station because only one toll lane was open, causing the travel time from T3 to T2 to be 18-20 minutes, not including waiting time. Furthermore, many passengers complained that the sign system guiding them into T3 was still small and difficult to see.

The fact that it only says "T3 terminal" without adding the word "domestic" terminal makes many people, especially passengers from other localities, easily mistake this for an international terminal or cannot distinguish clearly between T1 and T2. "The first time I went to Tan Son Nhat airport after T3 was put into operation, I thought T1 was domestic, T2 was international, and I didn't know what T3 was. The sign was small, and when I got there, I realized I was... going to the wrong terminal" - a passenger shared.

Speaking to us, a representative of the Vietnam Airports Corporation said that they are closely monitoring the situation and will make appropriate adjustments when the number of passengers increases. According to this person, the shuttle bus between T3 and T1 takes about 20 minutes per trip but only runs one way. When travel demand increases, the frequency and number of buses will be adjusted accordingly.

Terminal T3 is still messy.

Nearly a month after its official opening, many items at Terminal T3 are still in the process of being completed. Many areas inside the terminal are still covered with tarpaulins, and construction materials have not been cleared away. Of the 90 newly designed check-in counters, only a portion have been put into operation. Counters 1 to 50 are still being modified and not yet in operation.

Some areas of the floor still have large exposed tile joints and the surface has not been completely polished, affecting the aesthetics of the project, which is expected to be the largest domestic terminal in the country.

Regarding the water leak incident at the roof of Terminal T3 after the first heavy rain of the season, Mr. Nguyen Duc Toan - Deputy General Director of Hanoi Construction Corporation (Hancorp), the main contractor - said that the entire roof system with an area of ​​tens of thousands of square meters has been carefully inspected. "All suspicious points have been re-filled with glue, and the gutters and joints have also been thoroughly inspected. This is an opportunity to thoroughly handle the problem, avoiding the recurrence of water leakage incidents in the future," Mr. Toan affirmed.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/van-lo-khach-di-nham-nha-ga-o-tan-son-nhat-keo-theo-nguy-co-tre-chuyen-lo-chuyen-20250515082645443.htm