The Rising Cost of Airfare During Tết: A Growing Concern for Travelers

“Sold Out” Situation for Flight Tickets Back Home for Tết

With just over half a month left until the Lunar New Year, many domestic flights are already fully booked, and airfare prices are rising daily. Airfare prices are surging for both departures from and arrivals to Ho Chi Minh City, with some routes costing three to five times more than usual, causing concern for many.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan, working in Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City, and originally from Dong Da, Hanoi, shared that right after the Tet holiday announcement, she went online to book two round-trip tickets for herself and her husband from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi and back for over 8 million VND per ticket, totaling nearly 17 million VND for the two of them.

“Compared to regular prices, airfare for Tet 2025 is about three times higher. Although I knew the prices were surging, if I didn’t book then, I might not get any tickets later. Moreover, after a year of working away from home, everyone looks forward to reuniting with their loved ones. So, despite the high airfare, my husband and I still decided to ‘bite the bullet’ and buy the tickets to go home early to be with our family and parents,” Ms. Lan said.

Similarly, Mr. Tran Minh Duc, from Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City, shared that his family spent over 30 million VND on five round-trip tickets to Nam Dinh for Tet. According to Mr. Duc, this price was already a savings of nearly 8 million VND because his family will be leaving for Hanoi earlier and returning to Ho Chi Minh City sooner to avoid the crowded scenes at Tan Son Nhat Airport during Tet and also to save on travel expenses.

“If we calculate based on the current airfare prices, just the transportation cost for our family of five to go back home for nine days during Tet would be nearly 40 million VND. It’s disheartening to see how much the airfare costs after working hard all year. We can’t bear not going back to our hometown for Tet, but the expenses are too high. We hope that the authorities can take measures to adjust the prices to a more reasonable level for people’s income,” Mr. Duc expressed.

The worries of Ms. Lan and Mr. Duc reflect the common concerns of those working away from their hometown during the Tet holiday season. A survey of airfare prices on the websites of Vietnamese airlines shows that, during the Lunar New Year period, many routes from Ho Chi Minh City to the provinces are listed at high prices, and some routes have even ‘sold out’ of economy-class tickets.

Specifically, on January 22, 2025 (the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month), the Ho Chi Minh City-Vinh/Hai Phong/Thanh Hoa routes and the main routes such as Ho Chi Minh City-Hanoi have economy-class ticket prices listed at around 2.9 million VND (excluding taxes and fees) by several airlines.

Meanwhile, on January 25, 2025 (the first day of the holiday), many routes, including Ho Chi Minh City-Danang/Thua Thien-Hue/Nha Trang/Thanh Hoa/Vinh, are already ‘sold out’ of tickets in the economy class.

However, due to the high demand for travel to the northern and central provinces for Tet, airlines have to operate many empty flights from these regions back to Ho Chi Minh City. As a result, airfare prices for the opposite direction, from cities like Buon Ma Thuot, Hue, Thanh Hoa, Pleiku, Dong Hoi, and Chu Lai to Ho Chi Minh City, show a contrasting trend with significantly lower prices.

Lunar New Year flight tickets on many routes to localities are already sold out, and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam is closely monitoring the situation to develop plans to increase flight capacity to ensure transportation for people.

Unlike the routes to and from Ho Chi Minh City, during the period before Tet, on tourist routes such as Hanoi-Danang/Quy Nhon/Phu Quoc, there is no significant price difference between departure and return flights, fluctuating between nearly 1 and 3 million VND depending on the route.

However, on January 25, 2025, some routes, including Hanoi-Quy Nhon and Hanoi-Phu Quoc, have already sold out of economy-class tickets on several airlines.

After the holiday, when people start returning to work, there is a reversal in airfare prices for flights from the northern and central provinces to Ho Chi Minh City.

For example, on February 2, 2025 (the last day of the holiday), many routes from Buon Ma Thuot, Hue, Nha Trang, Thanh Hoa, Pleiku, Dong Hoi, Vinh, and Chu Lai to Ho Chi Minh City are sold out.

Also, on this day, on routes from tourist destinations like Quy Nhon and Phu Quoc back to Hanoi, some airlines have sold out of tickets.

On February 8, 2025, the first weekend after the holiday, airfare prices continue to show a contrasting trend, with routes from Ho Chi Minh City to airports like Da Nang, Pleiku, Vinh, and Noi Bai listed at only 0 VND, while prices for the opposite direction remain high.

Additional Flights to Be Added

Everyone understands that cheap tickets during Tet are not expected, especially with the current context of aircraft shortages and surging airfare prices. According to the Ministry of Transport, airfare prices reflect the market mechanism. During peak periods (when demand far exceeds supply), airlines tend to sell tickets at higher prices.

Conversely, during low demand periods or off-peak travel times during holidays, when demand for air travel is low (a significant drop in demand compared to supply), airlines lower their ticket prices.

Moreover, air transportation during Tet always has the characteristic of being busy in one direction, with very few or no passengers in the opposite direction. Therefore, the prices applied during this time also help airlines cover the costs of one-way flights and compensate for the two-way routes without exceeding the regulated price ceiling.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, during the holiday period (from January 21 to 28, 2025), booking rates for flights from Ho Chi Minh City to other localities are rapidly increasing, and some routes are almost fully booked.

Some routes have already reached full capacity, including Hanoi-Buon Ma Thuot, Ho Chi Minh City-Hue/Pleiku/Tuy Hoa/Quy Nhon/Buon Ma Thuot/Quang Binh/Thanh Hoa/Vinh/Chu Lai/Nha Trang, and Thua Thien-Hue.

At the end of the holiday period (from January 30 to February 7, 2025), booking rates have increased significantly for flights from localities back to Ho Chi Minh City, with some days on routes from places like Pleiku, Tuy Hoa, Thanh Hoa, Quy Nhon, Chu Lai, Dong Hoi, Vinh, and Buon Ma Thuot to Ho Chi Minh City reaching or close to 100% capacity.

For the main routes, such as Ho Chi Minh City-Danang, Ho Chi Minh City-Hanoi, Hanoi-Danang, and Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City, the booking rates during the period from January 25 to February 2, 2025 (the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month to the 5th day of the first lunar month), are rapidly increasing, especially on the Ho Chi Minh City-Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City-Danang routes, with some days before Tet already reaching over 80% capacity.

To ensure the travel needs of the people are met, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has directed the airports in Tho Xuan, Dong Hoi, Chu Lai, Phu Cat, Pleiku, and Tuy Hoa to implement a 24-hour operation plan to accommodate the night flight needs of airlines.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam will continue to monitor market developments and direct airlines to add flights on routes with high passenger volumes during the Lunar New Year 2025.

Additionally, to ensure smooth transportation connections between air and road, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has sent a document to the People’s Committees of provinces and cities, requesting support in implementing solutions for the 2025 Tet holiday. They have also proposed that the People’s Committees direct relevant departments, branches, and transportation service providers, such as taxis and ride-sharing services, to extend their operating hours, increase the number of vehicles, and increase bus frequencies to serve passengers, especially those on night flights to and from airports.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam will continue to request Vietnamese airlines to consider adding flights on routes from Ho Chi Minh City to the northern and central provinces during the days leading up to Tet, based on their operational capacity, airport infrastructure, and ensuring safety and security.

Airline representatives advise passengers to plan and book their tickets early to ensure convenient travel and their desired itinerary. To avoid buying fake tickets or paying inflated prices during this peak season, they also recommend that passengers purchase tickets through official websites, mobile applications, ticket offices, and authorized agents.