Vietnam Implements Temporary Traffic Measures to Ease Post-Holiday Congestion

Vietnam will implement temporary traffic measures on the Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway on September 2nd, following a 5-day national holiday, to alleviate congestion for vehicles heading to Ho Chi Minh City. This marks the first time such a solution is being deployed by the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Police to manage post-holiday return traffic. Specifically, for vehicles traveling from Dong Nai Province to Ho Chi Minh City, both directions of the expressway will be temporarily opened to allow for dispersal into various routes within the city. This aims to prevent vehicles from concentrating on the city center. At the Ring Road 3, Ring Road 2, and the C1 and C2 junctions, traffic police will guide a portion of vehicles to exit the expressway and proceed along Vo Chi Cong Street, the High-Tech Park, and connecting routes to limit traffic buildup at the An Phu intersection. At the An Phu intersection, drivers will be guided to descend onto Mai Chi Tho Street towards the Saigon River tunnel or switch to routes D1, Vo Chi Cong, and Dong Van Cong, depending on the real-time situation. Conversely, for vehicles traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Nai Province, entry onto the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway will be completely prohibited from 5:00 AM to 12:00 AM on September 2nd. Authorities will close all entry points to the expressway in the An Phu intersection, Phu Huu roundabout, Ring Road 2, and Ring Road 3 areas, while reinforcing guidance and diversion efforts from afar. Vehicles already on the expressway heading from Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Nai Province approaching the time of traffic adjustment will be guided to exit at the Do Xuan Hop, Vo Chi Cong Street, or Ring Road 3 branches. During the period when the Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Nai direction is closed, cars can choose alternative routes. Vehicles from the city center can take Mai Chi Tho Street - Vo Nguyen Giap Street - Dong Nai Bridge - Dong Nai Province, or Mai Chi Tho Street - Dong Van Cong Street - Nguyen Thi Dinh Street - Cat Lai Ferry - Dong Nai Province. Vehicles from the Vo Chi Cong Street, Phu Huu roundabout, and surrounding areas can follow the routes: Vo Chi Cong Street - High-Tech Park - Vo Nguyen Giap Street - Dong Nai Bridge. Or: Vo Chi Cong Street - My Thuy roundabout - Nguyen Thi Dinh Street - Cat Lai Ferry - Dong Nai Province. The Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway, measuring 55 km, is a vital artery connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Dong Nai Province, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province (formerly), and the southern central provinces. Due to its very high traffic volume, the route frequently experiences congestion during holidays and Tet. On this day, the direction from Dong Nai to Ho Chi Minh City had already begun to experience prolonged congestion as people returned to the city after the holiday. Several other expressways also implemented flexible traffic management as large numbers of vehicles returned to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City after the holiday break. In the North, the Cao Bo - Dai Xuyen section, 48 km long, prioritized both directions for vehicles returning to Hanoi on the afternoon of September 1st. This measure may continue on September 2nd as the number of vehicles returning to the capital increases. On the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway, on the afternoon of September 1st, traffic police used special motorcycles to guide cars through the emergency lane to alleviate congestion when traffic volume surged unexpectedly.