The Soaring Cost of Lunar New Year Flight Tickets Takes Off with Families’ Bonuses

On December 20, Mr. Le Nam, a resident of Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, shared that he intended to purchase plane tickets to return to his hometown of Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh Province, for the upcoming Tet holiday. When checking ticket prices on various airline websites, he found that the lowest price available for a one-way trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Quy Nhon, departing on the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, was 2.7 million VND, with the highest price soaring to 3.5 million VND. If considering a round trip, the total cost could reach up to 6-7 million VND per person. “Although tickets are still available, there aren’t many options for departure times, and the prices are all very high,” Mr. Nam remarked.

Many individuals have yet to purchase plane tickets for their Tet holiday travels, despite statistics indicating that airlines have sold approximately seven million seats, a 5% increase compared to the previous Tet holiday.

A notable observation, as reported by Nguoi Lao Dong journalists, is the lack of variation in airfare prices across different routes during the Tet holiday season.

For instance, flights from Ho Chi Minh City to destinations in Central Vietnam, such as Da Nang, Hue, Quy Nhon, and Chu Lai, offered by Vietravel Airline, Vietjet, and Bamboo, start at a minimum price range of 2.4 to 2.7 million VND per leg.

Specifically, for the Ho Chi Minh City – Da Nang route, if opting to fly with Vietnam Airlines, the price skyrockets to approximately 7 million VND for a one-way trip departing on the 25th of the twelfth lunar month.

In contrast, flights from Ho Chi Minh City to northern provinces like Hai Phong, Hanoi, Thanh Hoa, and Vinh have a minimum price range of 3.6 to 3.7 million VND per leg.

The family of Ms. Ngoc Mai, a resident of Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, is still undecided about whether to fly to Hanoi for Tet this year. With a family of five, including children, purchasing tickets at this time would mean spending approximately 35 to 40 million VND on airfare alone for a round trip. “Just the plane tickets would consume both my husband’s and my Tet bonuses,” Ms. Mai worriedly shared.

According to the Vietnam Aviation Authority, data from reports submitted by airlines showed that the total number of seats supplied on both international and domestic routes during the period from January 14, 2025, to February 12, 2025, exceeded seven million. Of these, domestic routes accounted for more than 4.9 million seats, with an average of 165,000 seats per day, representing an increase of approximately 4.8% compared to the previous year.

In the first two weeks of December, airlines added an additional 70,000 seats, mainly on domestic routes, to meet the travel demand.

The high airfare prices are not only a concern for individual travelers but also for travel companies organizing tours during the Tet holiday season.

Mr. Pham Quy Huy, Director of Kiwi Travel Company, noted that this year, tours to Central Vietnam, including destinations such as Hoi An, Da Nang, and Hue, were more popular among customers than tours to the North. However, the company is facing a challenge due to the steep airfare prices.

“For tours to Central Vietnam, the round-trip airfare alone costs around 6 million VND per passenger, pushing the tour price to 12-13 million VND for a 4-5 day itinerary. It’s challenging to attract customers to these domestic tours when the price is so high, especially when compared to international tours. This year, our company is offering a 6-day tour to Japan for around 42 million VND and tours to China ranging from 18 to 25 million VND for 4-6 days, and these have been receiving more inquiries from customers,” Mr. Huy explained.

Several travel companies have also reported that many overseas tours have already been fully booked by early bird customers. Ms. Tran Phuong Linh, Director of Marketing and Information Technology at BenThanh Tourist, shared that the surge in airfare and service prices during the Tet holiday has led to a 4-20% increase in tour prices compared to regular days.

However, when compared to the prices of tours during the same period in the previous year, the difference is not significant. Popular tourist destinations among travelers include Japan, South Korea, China, Turkey, and Australia.