Early on 13/6, vehicles began converging on the An Phu interchange area and Vo Chi Cong street, heading towards the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway. Most were cars with four to nine seats, carrying families embarking on weekend getaways or summer vacations.
The rapid increase in traffic volume led to congestion stretching for nearly 10 km, from the Long Phuoc toll booth area back towards the An Phu interchange. Vehicles moved slowly in a long queue, while traffic flowing from Dong Nai to Ho Chi Minh City remained clear.
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Traffic jam on the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway, heading from Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Nai, on the morning of 13/6. Photo: Ha Giang |
Traffic jam on the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway, heading from Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Nai, on the morning of 13/6. Photo: Ha Giang
"Taking advantage of the weekend and my daughter's summer break, my family is going to Vung Tau for two days. The short distance is made exhausting by the congestion", said Khang, 35 years old, as he waited in the queue to enter the expressway.
The traffic jam also spread to connecting routes such as Mai Chi Tho and Vo Chi Cong, as well as the Phu Huu roundabout. In addition to cars bound for the expressway, the area saw heavy truck traffic entering and exiting Cat Lai and Phu Huu ports, further exacerbating traffic pressure.
To alleviate congestion on the main route, traffic police deployed barriers and diverted traffic from a distance at several interchanges. At the Phu Huu roundabout, the expressway entrance was opened and closed alternately to manage the volume of vehicles entering the route. A similar traffic control method was applied at the Vo Nguyen Giap - Mai Chi Tho interchange.
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Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway route. Graphic: Dang Hieu |
Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway route. Graphic: Dang Hieu
A representative from Vietnam Expressway Services Engineering Joint Stock Company (VEC E), the unit managing the route, stated that there were no incidents on the Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Nai direction. The congestion was primarily caused by the high traffic volume during the weekend and the peak summer travel season.
Conversely, a truck experienced a breakdown on the Dong Nai to Ho Chi Minh City direction, but it did not cause a traffic jam due to lower vehicle density.
The Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway, approximately 55 km long, serves as a crucial connection between Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, and the South Central Coast provinces. The section from the An Phu interchange to Long Thanh is currently undergoing expansion to increase its operational capacity.
Giang Anh
