Transport firms prepare for holiday rush

      Transport companies are rushing to increase their capacity for the upcoming four-day vacation which falls on National Liberation Day (April 30) and May Day.
Vietnam Airlines will add 38 domestic flights and increase the capacity of the daily routes to Ha Noi, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Hue, Da Lat, HCM City and Phu Quoc from April 29 to May 3.
The total capacity of the airlines’ daily flights will be raised 25,000 seats each way, 11 per cent higher than usual and a three per cent rise compared to last year’s holiday.
The carrier also plans to offer budget tickets ranging from VND450,000 (US$26) to VND900,000 ($53).
Viet Nam Railway Corporation will provide additional trains to tourist destinations such as Ha Noi, Dong Hoi, Da Nang and HCM City. The Sai Gon Railway Passengers Transport Company will also operate the Sai Gon-Nha Trang line.
Deputy director of the Ha Noi Bus Station Management company Nguyen Cong Bang said that because the long holiday falls at the start of the summer season, there will be a boost in travellers heading to new tourist sites. The number of tourists visiting destinations like Ha Noi, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Thai Binh and Nam Dinh will double or triple, Bang said.
The current 900 bus trips a day will be supplemented for the holidays: 350 will be added on April 30th and 550 for May Day, he said.
The Ha Noi Bus Station Management Company will also increase its trips in mid-April from 1,300 to 1,900 trips a day during the peak days of the holiday.
The number of passengers is expected to jump 15 per cent over last year and be double everyday figures, said deputy director of the Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station in Ho Chi minh City, Thuong Thanh Hai.
The station asked transport business to list their ticket prices.
The company’s director, Nguyen Ngoc Thua, said that they will use extra buses from other routes if needed.
Bus and train companies said that passengers will pay higher fares if they buy through ticket brokers. Transport companies are working in collaboration with policies and transport inspectors to prevent this situation.
Some companies plan to reduce their ticket prices to attract customers.