Top 8 Struggles Everyone Faces When Trying to Catch a Bus Home for Tết

During Tết, bus trips tend to take much longer than usual. This is mainly because bus companies often make unexpected stops to pick up additional passengers. As a result, the journey becomes extremely slow, causing passengers to feel exhausted and frustrated. On normal days, buses stick to their regular routes, but during Tết, they often detour or even reverse direction to pick up more people. This random stopping and detouring is a common nuisance that nearly everyone experiences during Tết travel.

Due to frequent stops and picking up passengers along the way, the journey becomes much slower than usual. For those traveling on a single trip, it's not as much of a problem, but for others who have to catch two or three buses to reach their destination, this slow pace can cause major issues. If the bus is delayed, it's easy to miss connecting rides. Imagine standing alone on the side of the road at night, surrounded by heavy luggage, and missing your bus—it's definitely not a fun scenario.

During the Tết holiday, everyone is eager to return home, but the competition among bus companies to grab passengers is intense. It's common to witness bus staff yelling at customers, pushing and shoving to make sure they can board. Anyone who has seen this chaos can't help but feel frustrated. During these busy days, bus companies are just trying to pick up as many passengers as possible. If a passenger is slow to board or disembark due to their luggage, they're immediately scolded by the bus staff.

During this time, bus companies prefer passengers who travel from the beginning to the near end of the route, as it makes it easier for them to manage seats and collect fares. As a result, buses are very reluctant to pick up passengers along the way or those traveling short distances. So, for those of you traveling a short distance, it's a good idea to consider other forms of transportation to get home quickly, easily, and without wasting time.

Sold-out train and bus tickets during Tết is not a new problem, yet it is still widely reported every year as an unresolved issue. Getting a ticket for the journey home is never easy, despite the fact that more tickets are made available to meet demand.

For people from Central Vietnam working or studying in Hanoi, the long distance makes it even more difficult. They often have to book their tickets almost a month in advance to secure a spot. If they don’t buy early, they face the constant worry of not being able to make it home. The introduction of online ticket sales, with options for direct payment or e-wallet transactions, has made the process more convenient and transparent. However, with so many people attempting to purchase tickets at the same time, system crashes are common, leaving many unable to secure their tickets.

In addition, some passengers are tricked into buying fake or tampered tickets from scammers, resulting in financial loss and the inability to travel. Clearly, the issue of sold-out train and bus tickets during Tết creates a sense of uncertainty and stress for travelers. Booking transportation for the holidays is never an easy task.

As Tết approaches, the issue of sudden fare hikes becomes a major concern for travelers heading home. The closer we get to Tết, the higher the prices soar. For example, a bus from Hanoi to Phu Tho typically costs around 50,000 to 60,000 VND, but during Tết, the price can jump to 100,000 to 120,000 VND—double the regular fare. And for longer trips, like Hanoi to Sa Pa, where tickets usually cost between 260,000 and 270,000 VND, the fares can double, making it incredibly difficult for people trying to get home.

During Tết, buses are packed to the brim, and many passengers find themselves without a seat, forced to stand for the entire journey. I recall an experience from my student days, trying to catch a bus home just before Tết. The ticket prices had already gone up by 50%, and I had to stand on one leg the whole ride. When I finally made it home, I was relieved to have survived the trip. If any of you have ever been on a bus so crowded that opening the door to throw out a bag of trash almost sends people tumbling out, then you’ve definitely experienced what I would call a “stormy” bus ride.

During Tết, it's common for bus companies to drop passengers off at locations other than their originally requested stop. Sometimes, they may leave you 20 to 30 kilometers away from where you wanted to be. In some cases, they might even transfer you to another bus along the way. This can be incredibly frustrating, and the feeling of being misled can be hard to shake off.