Unlike in previous years, bus services, railway stations, and airports nationwide have seen a huge drop in passengers at this time of year as the Lunar New Year, known locally as Tet, is several days away. 

Contrary to the hustle and bustle seen at public transportation hubs in previous years, February 8 or the 27th day of the last lunar month sees many bus stops, railway stations, and airports fall quiet, with many buses and trains leaving with only a few passengers onboard. Pictured is a deserted Giap Bat bus station ahead of Tet.

Nguyen Anh Toan, director of Hanoi Bus Station Joint Stock Company, says due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the number of passengers passing through Hanoi bus station has witnessed a sharp decrease ahead of Tet. Indeed, at present the number of passengers is only between 50% and 60% of what was seen during last week

Ly Truong Son, director of My Dinh bus station, says this year has seen sparse scenes at the bus station, with typically between 6,000 and 8,000 passengers on weekdays and only 3,000 to 4,000 passengers during days close to Tet. Due to this fall in demand, the number of buses leaving the station has been halved

Vu Anh Minh, chairman of the Board of Directors at Vietnam Railways, says the nation’s latest COVID-19 outbreaks has caused a sharp decrease in the number of passengers on trains, with transport capacity reaching only about 30% to 50% of normal.

The scene at Hanoi Railway Station

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines says since the latest COVID-19 outbreak more than a week ago there has been a sudden increase in the number of passengers requesting for ticket refunds. However, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, the number of passengers boarding planes has risen slightly again