Truong Sa road, the main route to the National Exhibition Center (NEC) in Dong Anh, began experiencing congestion around 10 a.m. By 5:30 p.m., the traffic jam had stretched for almost 5 km, primarily in the lane heading from Long Bien, starting from the Long Bien overpass.
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Vehicles lined up on Truong Sa road. Photo: Viet An |
Vehicles lined up on Truong Sa road. Photo: Viet An
Vu Minh Tuan, a resident of Dong Anh, stopped on Dong Tru bridge and said he had been stuck for nearly 45 minutes and hadn't been able to cross the bridge. From there, it was still about one km to the NEC.
Meanwhile, 35-year-old Minh Hai, a resident of Tu Liem ward, and his friends left Cau Giay at 10:30 a.m. to visit the 80 Years of National Achievements exhibition at the NEC. However, all routes to Dong Anh were congested, and they didn't reach Dong Hoi road until 1:20 p.m.
In addition to the large number of people visiting the exhibition, the traffic jam was also caused by many cars parked on both sides of Truong Sa road, narrowing the roadway. This route also leads to Noi Bai airport and the western and northwestern provinces, and the holiday weekend added to the traffic volume with people returning home.
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Dong Tru bridge congested with traffic. Photo: Viet An |
Dong Tru bridge congested with traffic. Photo: Viet An
Unable to move normally, many motorcyclists chose to drive against the traffic flow, mounting sidewalks and the Dong Tru bridge. Many visitors opted to park 2 km away and walk to the exhibition center.
Traffic police cordoned off U-turn points to prevent vehicles from making turns that would exacerbate the congestion. They even blocked the road about 5 km from the exhibition center to restrict car access.
A traffic officer said the congestion had persisted since that morning, requiring the mobilization of dozens of personnel from multiple agencies.
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Truong Sa road packed with vehicles. Photo: Viet An |
Truong Sa road packed with vehicles. Photo: Viet An
The National Exhibition Center, inaugurated on the morning of 19/8, is the largest in Southeast Asia and among the top 10 largest exhibition centers globally.
The center, covering over 900,000 m2, was built in just under 10 months with a total investment of over 7,000 billion VND. The "80 Years of Independence - Freedom - Happiness" exhibition is currently being held there to celebrate National Day, running until 5/9.
Viet An - Vo Hai
