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The Ultimate Guide to Travel This 2/9 Holiday: Plane, Train, or Automobile?

25 August, 2024

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Inter-provincial coaches have ample seats and commit to keeping ticket prices stable – Illustrative image

Inter-provincial coach companies commit to keeping ticket prices stable

Mr. Pham Manh Hung, Director of Hanoi Bus Station Joint Stock Company, said that during the upcoming National Day holiday, the number of passengers and coaches is expected to surge from the afternoon of August 30 and all day on August 31, as well as in the afternoon of September 3 and the morning of September 4. The company has proposed to increase the number of coaches by about 700. Specifically, My Dinh station will have 400 coaches, Giap Bat station will have 220 coaches, and Gia Lam station will have 80 coaches.

The management of My Dinh station has directed transport businesses to ensure that passengers have tickets before boarding, and that drivers and assistant drivers do not overcharge, compete for passengers, or force passengers to get on their coaches.

Mr. Dao Viet Long, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Transport, has requested that all transport businesses refrain from arbitrarily increasing ticket prices during the National Day holiday. The Hanoi Department of Transport will assign the Transport Inspectorate to coordinate with the Department of Finance and the station management units to closely monitor the situation.

At Giap Bat station in Hanoi, the number of passengers is expected to peak at 20,000 per day during the holiday, a 350% increase compared to regular days. The main routes from this station are to Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Ninh Binh, and Thanh Hoa provinces. Meanwhile, Gia Lam station is expected to serve a maximum of 5,000 passengers per day, a 250% increase compared to regular days, with the main routes being to Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, and Bac Giang provinces.

My Dinh station is expected to serve about 22,000 passengers per day, a more than 350% increase compared to regular days, with more than 950 coaches per day. The main routes from this station are to the provinces of Hoa Binh, Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Dien Bien, Son La, Lai Chau, Quang Ninh, and Cao Bang.

During the holiday, Nuoc Ngam station will increase the number of coaches by 150, mainly to the provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Hue.

A representative of Hai Van International Transport Joint Venture Company said that tickets for the route from My Dinh station to the Northwest provinces (Son La and Dien Bien) were sold early, and as of now, about 90% of the tickets have been booked. The company commits to keeping ticket prices stable, ranging from VND 355,000 to VND 550,000 per bed, depending on the type of coach.

Regarding the route to Sapa, a representative of HK Bus Lines said that as of now, advance bookings have reached 70-80% of capacity, and ticket prices remain the same as on regular days, ranging from VND 350,000 to VND 420,000 per cabin.

On August 30, the last working day before the holiday, most coaches departing in the afternoon or evening are fully booked, with only 2-3 cabins available per trip. On the morning of August 31, there was a high demand for tickets for coaches departing in the morning, and many trips were already sold out.

Luxury trains on the Saigon-Nha Trang route are in high demand during the holiday – Photo: VNR

Trains are almost fully booked

A representative of Hanoi Railway Transport Joint Stock Company said that ticket prices during the National Day holiday will be the same as during the summer peak weekends. After the National Day peak, ticket prices will decrease again as it is the off-peak season after summer. Unlike previous years, the North-South route has maintained a stable number of passengers even after the summer peak season. This is partly due to the improved quality of service and flexible ticket policies offered by the railway sector. Moreover, passengers’ travel habits have changed, and instead of traveling during holidays or peak days, many people now choose to travel on regular days.

For the ‘food tour’ train route between Hanoi and Hai Phong, the Hanoi Railway Transport Joint Stock Company has added more trips during the National Day holiday. In addition to the four pairs of trains running daily, seven additional trains will be operated to meet the needs of passengers. Furthermore, the Hanoi – Lao Cai route will also have an additional SP7 train departing from Hanoi Station from August 22 to 30 and an SP8 train departing from Lao Cai Station from August 23 to 31.

According to a survey by reporters, train tickets from Hanoi to Danang are almost sold out, with only a few sleeping and sitting berths available. Even on the first day of the week (August 19), out of the six trains on this route, only train SE11 had tickets available for sleeping berths in compartment 6 and sitting berths, while sleeping berths in compartment 4 were sold out. The highest-priced tickets are for sleeping berths on the first floor of compartment 4, ranging from nearly VND 1.1 million to VND 1.4 million per trip, depending on the train type and departure date.

Similarly, for the Hanoi – Dong Hoi route, sleeping berths on the first floor of the trains are almost fully booked, and only sleeping berths on the second and third floors and sitting berths are available.

Train tickets for the North-South route during the holiday peak are almost sold out. For example, on August 30, although the railway sector has increased the number of trains from Hanoi to Vinh and Quang Binh, and added more trains departing in the afternoon and evening to Nam Dinh, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Dong Hoi, and Danang, most of these trains are already sold out.

Likewise, for trains from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang, Binh Dinh, and Danang, the main trips departing in the evening are almost fully booked, and only trains running during the day or additional trains have seats available.

During this National Day holiday, the railway sector continues to implement various ticket price reduction policies. For example, when purchasing a round-trip ticket, passengers will receive a 5% discount on the return ticket for individuals and a 7% discount for groups of 20 people or more. The railway sector also maintains ticket price reduction policies for policy beneficiaries, such as Vietnamese heroic mothers, severely injured soldiers, the elderly, and children.

Airfares have increased but flights are still in high demand during the National Day holiday

Airfares on tourist routes have surged

According to a survey by the Government Electronic Newspaper, for flights from August 31 to September 3 (four days during the holiday), the busiest route, Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City, still has many seats available, with airfares ranging from VND 3.3 million to VND 4.6 million for a round trip. This price is slightly higher than on regular days but lower than in May 2024.

For the Hanoi – Danang route, there are several domestic airlines operating. Vietjet Air’s airfares range from VND 4.0 million to VND 4.3 million for a round trip, while Vietnam Airlines offers slightly cheaper tickets, ranging from VND 3.8 million to VND 4.4 million for a round trip. Bamboo Airways has higher prices for more desirable departure times, ranging from VND 4.1 million to VND 4.4 million for a round trip. There are still many seats available for this route.

For the Hanoi-Phu Quoc route, a popular holiday destination, airfares have surged to up to VND 6.8 million for a round trip on Vietjet and VND 8.8 million on Vietnam Airlines. There are very few seats left for this route.

After Phu Quoc, the Hanoi-Quy Nhon route also has very few seats left, with airfares ranging from VND 5.6 million to VND 7.8 million for a round trip. Similarly, the Hanoi-Nha Trang route is also seeing a rapid decrease in the number of available seats, despite relatively high airfares ranging from VND 4.9 million to VND 6.0 million for a round trip.

If passengers choose to fly to Dalat, Vietnam Airlines is the only option, with airfares reaching up to VND 4.6 million for a round trip, while Vietjet Air has sold out tickets for the Hanoi-Dalat route.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, in general, airfares for daytime flights, especially from 9 am to 12 pm, are higher than those for other time slots (early morning or evening). This is in line with the preferences and needs of passengers who choose to fly during the day.

Highways provide additional travel options

This year’s National Day holiday is different from previous years, as many sections of the North-South Expressway have been put into operation. It is expected that the travel demand of people will shift significantly from air and rail to road transport.

In the North, since the Hanoi – Hai Phong Expressway was opened, most private cars and coaches traveling from Quang Ninh through Hai Phong to Hanoi, and vice versa, have been using the expressway because the travel time is reduced by half compared to the old National Highway 5A. Coach companies also prefer to use the expressway, despite having to pay tolls, because of the shorter travel time.

In Binh Thuan province, immediately after the Dau Giay – Phan Thiet Expressway was opened to traffic, several coach companies, such as Trung Nga, Tam Hanh, Kumho, and Cao Lam, started operating on the expressway in addition to the National Highway 1. As the expressway is currently toll-free, coach companies have not increased ticket prices.

From Ho Chi Minh City, the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay – Phan Thiet – Vinh Hao – Cam Lam – Nha Trang expressway chain has been connected, reducing the travel time to less than 5 hours for the 370km journey, compared to about 10 hours on the 450km long National Highway 1.

It is known that after the completion of the chain of five consecutive expressways connecting Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang, reducing the travel time to only 4-5 hours, which is half the time compared to before, the number of tourists from southern provinces and cities to Nha Trang has increased significantly. Mr. Dinh Thanh Tuan, Director of Operations of the Nha Trang – Cam Lam Expressway, said that on average, about 3,500 private cars, 600 16-seat cars, and 650 cars with more than 29 seats pass through the expressway’s toll stations in Khanh Hoa province every day.

The highest traffic flow is at the Suoi Dau interchange, with about 1,600-1,700 cars per day, followed by the Dien Khanh interchange with about 750 cars, and the Cam Lam interchange with 200-300 cars. Most of the vehicles coming from the expressway head to Nha Trang city for tourism or family visits.

Mr. Nguyen Hung, a businessman in Ho Chi Minh City, said that in the past, his family usually took coaches during the holidays. “Now, with the completion of the expressways, my family has switched to driving our own car during the holidays. Driving and exploring new roads give us more experiences, and we can also be more flexible with our time,” said Mr. Hung.

It can be seen that many families have chosen to drive their own cars during this holiday due to the smooth flow of traffic on the expressways, reduced travel time, and the ability to have more control over their time and gain new experiences.

Phan Trang