More than 1,000 Tet train tickets at Vinh Station were returned due to concerns about the Covid-19 epidemic

As a native of Xuan Tuong commune, Thanh Chuong district, working in Hanoi, Nguyen Van Minh and his wife both looked forward to returning home for Tet. He had carefully prepared the train tickets since the beginning of December. However, as the return date approached, cases of infection appeared continuously in Hanoi.Covid-19In the community, Mr. Minh and his wife had to regretfully exchange their train tickets and not return home for Tet like every year.

Vinh Station is deserted on the evening of February 2, even though Tet is near. Photo: Nguyen Chau

Mr. Minh shared: "I am a person returning from an epidemic area, I will have to be quarantined and monitored according to regulations, celebrating Tet and communicating with brothers and relatives are limited, while Nghe An has not had an epidemic yet, so I think it is best not to return to my hometown this time, to limit travel, save costs, and ensure safety for my hometown..."

As for the family of Ms. Le Thi Hong, from the districtHung NguyenCurrently working in Ho Chi Minh City, she has arranged to return to her hometown for Tet this year and bought a round-trip ticket, and will return to work on the 5th day of the first lunar month. However, when she heard that Ho Chi Minh City also had a Covid-19 epidemic, she went to Vinh station to return the ticket, postpone the departure time and accept the deduction of fees.

Ms. Hong shared: "This epidemic is very dangerous and spreads quickly, so my family and I have agreed to stay in our hometown for a while longer to ensure safety because Nghe An has not had an outbreak yet..."

Nghe An residents exchange and return train tickets at Vinh station on the evening of February 2. Photo: Nguyen Chau

Not only Mr. Minh and Ms. Hong, but currently, the number of people exchanging and returning train tickets is increasing due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thanh - Head of Vinh Railway Transport Station said: "Since the epidemic re-emerged in the community, there has been a phenomenon of people exchanging and returning train tickets and up to now, at Vinh station, there have been about1,000Train tickets were returned. Mostly people far from home decided not to return home for Tet, those in the countryside postponed returning to work, especially in areas with epidemics..."

According to Mr. Thanh, there are two options when passengers return tickets during this time. The first option is that passengers return tickets, the railway company will keep the tickets and passengers will be able to make up for lost tickets in 2021 if needed. The second option, if passengers want to get their ticket money back, they will have to pay a fee according to regulations and the amount will be refunded within 90 days.

However, passengers must note that the latest time to change or return tickets is 24 hours before the train departs; after that time, tickets cannot be changed or returned. At the same time, when changing or returning tickets, passengers must bring the correct identification printed on the ticket to be able to proceed with the procedures.

Customers who want to exchange or return tickets must bring the correct identification documents printed on the ticket to complete the procedure. Photo: Nguyen Chau

Not only at train stations but also at bus companies, passengers booking tickets and then canceling them is very common. Mr. Nhan, the owner of a bus running the Vinh - Binh Duong route, said: Since the beginning of February, his bus company has continuously received calls to cancel tickets. For example, on February 7 (26th of Tet), at first there were over 30 passengers booking tickets, but now there are only 17 passengers. The characteristic of traveling by bus is that people often call to book tickets, so canceling tickets is very simple, without the constraints of buying tickets directly at the train station, having to go there to do the return procedure.

Currently, passenger buses are in a "dilemma" because the number of passengers has suddenly decreased compared to the original plan. If the bus company continues to run, the small number of passengers will not be enough to cover the costs, but if it does not run, it will lose its reputation with customers who have booked tickets in advance and have not canceled their tickets.

Despite the decrease in passenger numbers, epidemic prevention work at Bac Vinh bus station is still being carried out seriously. Photo: Nguyen Chau

According to representatives of bus and train stations, due to the impact ofpandemic, plus the fact that people are constantly exchanging and returning train and bus tickets, the number of visitors returning for Tet this year has decreased sharply, expected to be only 50% compared to last year. However, epidemic control measures such as requiring passengers to wear masks, measuring body temperature, and quarantining when returning from epidemic areas... are still being carried out seriously so that Nghe An province can celebrate Tet safely.