Bus stations throughout Hanoi are often left crowded around the week before the Tet break, but it’s different this year.
A quiet scene is recorded at a bus station in Hanoi.
Only a few passengers are seen waiting for buses at Giap Bat, one of the major bus stations in Hanoi.
Not many passengers travel on the Hanoi-Hai Phong route. With only 30 minutes until the bus leaves the station, the driver still must go around seeking passengers as there are many empty seats available.
This year the number of buses at the station is equal to 80% of that seen in previous years, but the number of passengers is at only 50%. In 2023, only a few journeys increase their fares approved a month before.
Tran Dinh Ha, deputy director of Giap Bat bus station, explains most students returned to their home more than a week ago, leaving the bus station deserted. In addition, an increase in the number of private cars after the COVID-19 pandemic, and buses taking passengers along the road also reduce the number of passengers getting on at the station.
Similar deserted scenes are recorded at Nuoc Ngam bus station, a site which is usually always overloaded with passengers buying bus tickets.
Although Tet draws near, fewer passengers are seen at bus stations these days.
Buses on the route from Hanoi to the central region are mostly empty.
Thanh Hong Son, a driver on the Hanoi-Nghe An route, says each bus only has around three passengers, adding these quiet scenes had never happened before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many people have chosen to book bus tickets through online channels, meaning they don’t need to arrive at the station early.
A group of students travelling to the central region share that the journey seems to be easier than previous years, with the fare rising by around VND50,000 each.
Bus stations expect passengers will come in hordes again in a couple of days’ time when workers start their week-long Tet break on January 20.