A Nation in Line: The Queues That Define Modern Việt Nam

Ngọc Giàu wrote this article in Vietnamese, published in Luat Khoa Magazine on Feb. 12, 2025. Đàm Vĩnh Hằng translated it into English for The Vietnamese Magazine.

From pandemic panic to bureaucratic backlogs, the act of queuing has become a defining, often frustrating, experience in modern Vietnamese life. Its legacy dates back to the subsidy era known as "Thời bao cấp" (1975-1986), when people would line up for hours, sometimes all day, simply to receive government rations. This article looks back at five of the most iconic queues of recent years—lines etched into the nation's collective memory and headline history.

COVID-19 Testing Lines: The “Nose-Swab Queue” Era

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in 2021, long lines for testing became an unforgettable part of daily life. In what many jokingly dubbed the “nose-swab waiting era,” millions of Vietnamese citizens queued under the scorching sun and late into the night for mandatory mass testing.

The situation was particularly intense in Hồ Chí Minh City, the nation's epicenter, which had recorded over 600,000 cases and 19,000 deaths by Dec. 14, 2023. Notable queuing incidents in the city include:

• May 29, 2021: Residents in Gò Vấp District and in Bình Thạnh District’s alley 55, lined up at midday ahead of a strict lockdown.
• June 17, 2021: An estimated 15,000 people queued overnight in An Lạc Ward, Bình Tân District.
• June 22, 2021: Hundreds lined up in the evening at a primary school in Bình Tân District as part of a plan to screen 243,000 people.
• July 7, 2021: Thousands gathered in Thủ Đức for COVID-19 tests required to obtain travel permits.

Similar scenes unfolded in Hà Nội, where on July 21, 2021, hundreds crowded the National Institute for Vaccine and Medical Biologicals from 6 AM. By Feb.21, 2022, even those confirmed to be infected were seen queuing at local medical stations for rapid tests.

Beyond the major cities, drivers formed long lines in the rain at a checkpoint in Thanh Hóa province on Oct. 16, 2021. In Bắc Giang, a "terrifying" scene described by the press showed thousands of factory workers at Luxshare ICT standing shoulder to shoulder for mass testing in July 2021.

While it remains unclear whether these crowded queues worsened community transmission, these moments exposed significant weaknesses in Việt Nam’s public health logistics—a lesson not soon forgotten.

The "Hammocks and Mats" Queue: A Rush for Social Insurance

As Việt Nam’s economy faltered in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers turned to a last resort: withdrawing their social insurance contributions in a single lump sum. This led to scenes of desperation in late 2022 and early 2023, when images of people spreading mats and setting up hammocks to wait overnight outside social insurance offices in Hồ Chí Minh City went viral. Workers queued from as early as 4 AM in places like Thủ Đức City and Hóc Môn District, many driven by job loss and dire financial need.

The phenomenon spiked again in April 2023, with some offices processing over 1,000 cases per day. This new surge was fueled by growing public fear that upcoming government policies would restrict or eliminate the option for lump-sum withdrawals—a particularly troubling prospect given the country's low monthly pension payouts.

To ease the immense pressure on the system, social insurance agencies eventually responded by introducing digital queuing systems and increasing staffing at their offices.

Vehicle Registration Crisis: The Fallout of a National Scandal

If 2023 had a buzzword in Việt Nam, it was “vehicle inspection queues.” The crisis was the direct result of one of the country's largest-ever corruption scandals: the vehicle registration bribery case. The case involved 254 defendants, including top officials like former Registry Department heads Trần Kỳ Hình and Đặng Việt Hà, who were charged with accepting bribes to issue fraudulent inspection certificates for unsafe vehicles. The resulting sentences ranged from probation to 30 years in prison.

As inspection centers across the country were shut down or left understaffed during the investigation, demand massively outstripped capacity, leading to chaotic scenes for months on end. In Hà Nội, car owners were lining up from as early as 2 AM in January 2023. By late February, the press recorded queues at the inspection center on Cầu Giấy Street snaking for kilometers, stretching past the University of Transport and Communications.

By December 2023, long lines were still being recorded at multiple Hà Nội centers, including those in Hoàng Mai, Nam Từ Liêm, and Đống Đa districts. Many vehicle owners had to make appointments a day in advance and still wait for hours. Similar scenes played out in Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, where queues at the center in Thủ Đức also extended for kilometers in March 2023, with the pressure surging again after the Lunar New Year.

Fuel Shortages: Long Lines at the Pump

In late 2022, major cities like Hà Nội and phố Hồ Chí Minh City faced severe gasoline shortages, triggering long queues and public frustration. The crisis gripped Hồ Chí Minh City first. On Oct. 9, 2022, a fuel-buying frenzy began after multiple stations shut down or rationed fuel. By October 10, some drivers were limited to buying as little as 50,000 đồng (~$2) worth of gasoline. The chaos returned to the city on November 1, overwhelming major stations.

In Hà Nội, similar scenes unfolded. On Nov. 4, 2022, several petrol stations in Đống Đa District closed unexpectedly, causing long waits. By November 10-11, people were lining up at midnight at stations in Tây Hồ District, which were being run by only two staff members.

While official reasons cited supply chain disruptions, reports suggested that many fuel retailers were protesting low profit margins. In response, Việt Nam’s leading fuel distributor, Petrolimex, extended its opening hours, running its Hà Nội stations 24/7 between November 8–13.

In Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, vehicles on major roads like Nguyễn Xí and Đinh Bộ Lĩnh were reported to be waiting through four or five red light cycles just to cross an intersection. On January 11, Thanh Niên newspaper described a "traffic nightmare" where it was nearly impossible to hail a cab or ride-share vehicle after end-of-year parties. In Hà Nội, on January 15, major roads like Nguyễn Trãi and Trường Chinh experienced all-day jams, forcing the city to deploy 100% of its traffic police force to manage the situation.

Traffic Jams: Queuing for the Green Light

Though not a literal line for a commodity, the monumental traffic jams during the 2025 Lunar New Year made many drivers feel as though they were queuing just to get past a single green light. The gridlock was caused by a perfect storm: the annual surge in holiday traffic, the new, stricter enforcement of Decree 168, and increased fines for violations.

In Hồ Chí Minh City, vehicles on major roads like Nguyễn Xí and Đinh Bộ Lĩnh were reported to be waiting through four or five red light cycles just to cross an intersection. On January 11, Thanh Niên newspaper described a "traffic nightmare" where it was nearly impossible to hail a cab or ride-share vehicle after end-of-year parties. In Hà Nội, on January 15, major roads like Nguyễn Trãi and Trường Chinh experienced all-day jams, forcing the city to deploy 100% of its traffic police force to manage the situation.

From the desperate overnight lines for social insurance to the chaotic queues for vehicle registration, from the pandemic-era testing sites to the gridlocked city streets, the act of queuing in Việt Nam has become more than a mundane inconvenience. Each of these moments tells a story of a system under immense strain. They are mirrors that reflect the profound growing pains of a rapidly modernizing society, where top-down policy often outpaces on-the-ground reality, leaving citizens to bear the real cost of waiting.