As many as 55 traffic accidents occurred nationwide on January 28 - the first day of nine-day Lunar New Year (Tet) festival - killing 24 people and injuring 43 others.

According to the National Traffic Safety Committee, the total cases included 54 road and one railway accidents.

On the same day, traffic police across the country handled nearly 4,100 violation cases, collecting a total administrative fine of 1.2 billion VND and detaining 4 cars and 656 motorbikes.

On January 27, the last working day before the holiday, severe traffic congestion was seen in key crossroads in Hanoi . However, the roads were clear again in the afternoon.

Most train and bus stations across Hanoi were crowded as demand surged during the days prior to Tet – the most important annual festival when people are supposed to gather with their families in their home town.-VNA