A sea of humanity is on the move on motorbikes, in vans, buses, cars and even planes as Saigonese return home for Tet. 

On Saigon's Binh Trieu 1 Bridge, which leads into the Mien Dong Bus Terminal, vehicles inch forward, literally. The pedestrian paths on the bridge are encroached.

Wednesday marks the final working day of this lunar year. A week-long Lunar New Year holiday starting Thursday allows millions to return home and celebrate with their families.

Buses at Mien Dong transport passengers between Saigon and central and northern destinations.

Streets around the bus terminal, like Dinh Bo Linh, Nguyen Xi and Xo Viet Nghe Tinh are packed with vehicles.

"This area starts becoming full about half a month before Tet, from morning to afternoon. To transport passengers through this part is a pain in the neck," said Tran Tien Le, a motorbike taxi driver.

An ambulance stuck in traffic.

A boy sitting in front of a motorbike on the way to the bus terminal is tired.

A deliveryman has a drink.

"The road is jammed, so I had to get off the bus and walk so I don’t miss my ride. I know traffic jams are common these days, so I had to go to the station early," says My Phuc, 20, who has to walk a kilometer to reach the Mien Dong station.

The terminal and its parking spaces are chockfull of passengers and buses.

This year, the Mien Dong Bus Terminal has recorded sales of 417,000 tickets so far, with sales peaking Monday to Wednesday. Most passengers booked rides to provinces and localities in central, and northern Vietnam as well as the Central Highlands. The terminal officials said they had arranged 20 extra buses to meet demand.

To the Mekong Delta

Saigonese have also begun returning to the Mekong Delta, taking the National Highway 1A through Tien Giang Province or National Highway N2 in Long An Province. Traffic jams were several kilometers long on these roads. The picture above is of an intersection between National Highway 1A and the HCMC-Trung Luong Highway on Wednesday.

The narrow Rach Mieu Bridge gets congested every 10 minutes.

Several provinces and localities in southern Vietnam have devised measures to alleviate congestions, including upgrading and expanding roads. Restrictions have been placed on certain vehicles like trucks.

On a National Highway 1A section that runs through Tien Giang Province. Dozens of traffic police officers are on hand to direct traffic at the Luong Phu Intersection, but there are just too many vehicles.

At Tan Son Nhat Airport

At the Tan Son Nhat Airport's domestic terminal, halls are full of passengers and their luggage at 3 a.m. Thursday morning. Long queues and waiting times at check-in counters are inevitable.

Around 15 columns of people nearly a kilometer long each, await their turn for security checks.

Many fall asleep as they wait.

"We came to the airport at 3 a.m., and it took our family nearly two hours to reach the waiting lounge. During Tet, there are too many people, and things are too expensive. A bowl of pho at the airport cost me VND100,000 ($4.32), nearly twice the usual price," said Hung. The family has a flight to Hanoi at 6 a.m.