Railway and airline companies in Viet Nam plan to increase the number of trips and vehicles at the end of April as travel demand is expected to rise during the Reunification Day and Labour Day holidays.

Use of public transport is expected to peak during the holiday period. — VNA/VNS Photo

The Ha Noi Railway Transport JSC said it would provide additional 29 trains (15,172 seats) for round-trips from Ha Noi to the central cities of Vinh, Dong Hoi, Da Nang and Thanh Hoa.

Accordingly, the Saigon Railway Transport JSC said it would provide 27 extra trains (13,000 seats) for round-trips from HCM City to the southern cities of Phan Thiet, Nha Trang and Quy Nhon from 26 April to 1 May.

The railway companies said customers should book tickets via their official websites dsvn.vn and vetau.com.vn, or at train stations and certified ticket offices and agencies.

Vietjet Air plans to provide customers with 200 more flights (46,000 seats) to domestic tourism cities such as Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Da Nang and Da Lat, and international ones such as Korea, China (Taiwan) and Thailand.

Jetstar Pacific Airlines said it would increase the number of flights by 20% compared to the same period of last year, an equivalent of 20 more flights per day.

The Mien Dong Bus Station in HCM City expects that the number of passengers travelling during the holiday will peak at 52,500 on 28 April, an equivalent of 1,750 trips – up 2% from the same period of last year.

A leader of the station proposed to add surcharges of 30-40% of the trip fares, depending on different regions, so that it can pay the additional and contract buses during the holiday, the Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc requested on Friday that the ministries of public security; transport; education and training; culture, sports and tourism; information and communications, and other concerned agencies ensure transport safety and quality for passengers during the holidays, especially on the major routes that connect Ha Noi and HCM City with other localities.

He requested that transport companies strictly comply with regulations on traffic safety and heighten focus on preventing road and waterway accidents. He added that patrol forces should impose strict fines on serious violations that pose high risks of leading to traffic accidents.

Leaders of the ministries and localities are to report on traffic safety during the four day holiday period – from 28 April to 1 May – to the National Traffic Safety Committee before 3pm on 1 May, he said.

(Source: VNS)