The race to secure Tet flight tickets is heating up.
According to a report by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, despite the addition of extra flights, many routes from Tan Son Nhat International Airport to local airports are quickly filling up during the days leading up to Tet and the opposite direction in the post-Tet period.
As of January 10th, Vietnamese airlines have added 522 extra flights, equivalent to approximately 133,000 additional seats on domestic routes, focusing on journeys from Ho Chi Minh City to central provinces from January 22nd to February 8th. Several routes have already reached a 100% booking rate, including Hanoi to Buon Ma Thuot and Ho Chi Minh City to Hue, Pleiku, Tuy Hoa, Quy Nhon, Buon Ma Thuot, Quang Binh, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Chu Lai, and Nha Trang.
For key routes such as Ho Chi Minh City – Danang, Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi, Hanoi – Danang, and Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City, the seat occupancy rate is rapidly increasing for the period from January 25th to February 2nd (the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month to the 5th day of the first lunar month). Notably, some days close to Tet have already seen occupancy rates surpassing 90% for flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi and Danang.
The race to secure Tet flight tickets is intensifying.
Given the high demand for air travel, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has instructed airlines to lease additional aircraft and increase night flights during the Tet period, mainly serving routes from Ho Chi Minh City to the North and Central regions.
In its report on the evening of January 18th, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam stated that Vietnamese airlines had added 586 more flights during the period from January 17th to February 12th.
Specifically, after receiving additional slot allocations from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, compared to the previous week (January 10th), Vietnamese airlines have added 586 flights, providing approximately 134,800 extra seats from January 17th to February 12th.
At Tan Son Nhat International Airport, the Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City route increased by 90 flights, while the Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi route increased by 89 flights. Other routes with significant increases include Ho Chi Minh City – Danang (+24 flights), Ho Chi Minh City – Thanh Hoa (+22 flights), Ho Chi Minh City – Hue (+23 flights), Ho Chi Minh City – Vinh (+24 flights), and Hai Phong – Ho Chi Minh City (+43 flights), compared to the previous week.
The Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City route saw the most significant increase, with 90 additional flights and 25,696 extra seats offered.
Some Tet Flight Tickets Still Available
According to a representative of Vietravel Airlines, as of January 17th, the seat occupancy rate for key routes during the period from January 20th to 27th is as follows: Ho Chi Minh City – Danang and Ho Chi Minh City – Quy Nhon have occupancy rates of over 95%, while Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi has an occupancy rate of over 90%. This means that passengers can still purchase tickets for the Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi route during this peak period from this airline.
From January 13th to February 12th, Vietnam Airlines plans to operate more than 1,500 night flights, providing nearly 300,000 seats during the Tet peak period. Compared to the 2024 Tet season, the number of night flights has increased by 88%.
While some routes are filling up quickly, there are still seats available on certain routes, including the Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi axis.
Vietnam Airlines’ night flights depart after 9 pm and before 5 am the following day, focusing on routes from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, Danang, Hai Phong, Vinh, and Hue. The airline will utilize Airbus A321 and Airbus A320 aircraft for most of these routes. For the Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi route, they will also deploy modern wide-body aircraft, including Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.
Ticket prices for the Tet peak season are also very high. For flights on January 25th from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, all economy class seats are sold out, and night flights are also running out of seats, with only business class seats remaining. Specifically, Vietnam Airlines’ 00:05 flight only has business class seats available at a price of 9.8 million VND, while Bamboo Airways’ 03:40 flight offers business class seats at 8.5 million VND.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, airfare prices clearly reflect market dynamics, with supply and demand directly influencing ticket costs. During periods of high travel demand, especially during holidays and Tet, fares tend to escalate. Conversely, during off-peak periods or on less popular flights, prices are typically reduced to attract passengers and balance out the utilization.
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