CaliToday (27/12/2025): The 2026 New Year holiday is still days away, but the "Great Migration" has already begun. As of Saturday morning, critical sections of Vietnam’s vital North-South Expressway are reporting severe congestion, signaling a challenging start to the festive travel season.
Despite the official holiday not beginning until January 1st, 2026, thousands of families have opted to hit the road this weekend to beat the rush ironically creating the very gridlock they sought to avoid.
The Central Bottleneck: Nghe An – Ha Tinh
In the North Central region, the expressway section connecting Nghe An and Ha Tinh has become a sea of red taillights.
- The Scene: Drone footage shows vehicles moving at a crawl on the Dien Chau - Bai Vot - Ha Tinh stretch. This route is the primary artery for workers returning from industrial hubs in the North to their hometowns in the Central provinces.
- The Cause: Traffic police attribute the surge to a combination of personal cars and an increase in long-haul passenger buses making early runs. The sheer volume has turned the high-speed lane into a parking lot in several areas.
The Tourist Trap: Nha Trang – Cam Lam
In the South, the situation is driven by leisure rather than homecoming. The Nha Trang – Cam Lam expressway, a favorite route for tourists escaping Ho Chi Minh City for the beaches of Khanh Hoa, is witnessing a massive spike in volume.
- Congestion Points: The exit nodes connecting the expressway to National Route 1A and the route to Cam Ranh International Airport are facing local paralysis.
- Tourism Boom: With the weather in the South remaining warm and sunny, domestic tourism to coastal cities has exploded, pushing infrastructure to its limit.
ETC Stations Under Pressure
A concerning development is the backup at Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) stations. Although the "non-stop" toll technology was designed to eliminate queues, the unexpected density of vehicles has overwhelmed the system at key entry and exit points.
Glitches & Delays: Reports indicate that sensor lags and drivers with insufficient account balances are causing chain-reaction delays, forcing cars to queue up for hundreds of meters before the barriers.
Authorities Respond
The Traffic Police Department (C08) has deployed maximum personnel to regulate flow at key interchanges. "We strongly advise drivers to constantly check navigation apps like Google Maps or local traffic updates before entering the expressway," a C08 representative stated. "If the expressway is red on the map, please consider using the old National Route 1A or coastal roads to ease the burden."
With the cold front intensifying in the North and traffic density rising by the hour, drivers are urged to maintain safe distances and exercise extreme patience.
Thế Anh
CaliToday.Net