Airlines Unveil Lunar New Year Airfare Sales: Sky-High Prices Don’t Stop Tickets from Selling Out

Vietnam Airlines Group Releases Over 3.5 Million Tickets for Tet 2026

Vietnam Airlines Group (including Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, and VASCO) has officially announced the early sale of Tet holiday tickets for 2026, offering a total of over 3.5 million seats on domestic and international routes during the peak period from February 2nd to March 3rd, 2026 (from the 15th day of the last lunar month to the 15th day of the first lunar month).

The number of tickets supplied has increased by nearly 20% compared to the same period last year. Starting from September 3rd, passengers can purchase Tet 2026 tickets on the website, mobile application, ticket offices, or official agents of Vietnam Airlines. This is the first ticket sale based on the approved flight schedule.

Vietnam Airlines Group will continue to monitor market demand, balance aircraft resources and slot allocation to release tickets for subsequent periods, making it more convenient for people to plan their travel during Tet, according to Tri Thuc News.

As usual, high-demand routes will include the three major cities of Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as key localities such as Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Hue, Gia Lai, Ninh Thuan, and Kien Giang…

The number of seats supplied on the Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City route has increased by nearly 18%, while the Ho Chi Minh City – Da Nang route has increased by almost 9%. Routes between Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, and Hue have also increased by 9% to 13% compared to the same period last year.

In parallel, Vietnam Airlines Group is also increasing flights on international routes between Vietnam and Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore…, catering to the trend of overseas travel during Tet.

At the same time, Vietnam Airlines continues to schedule many flights during late-night and early morning hours, with nearly 20% of flights operating during these off-peak hours, optimizing operational capacity, reducing daytime pressure, and providing more flexibility for passengers.

Previously, Vietjet Air also released a total of 2.5 million tickets for the period from February 3rd to March 2nd, 2026 (from the 16th day of the last lunar month to the 13th day of the first lunar month), serving domestic and international travel demands, connecting Vietnam with Australia, India, Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, and Cambodia.

Sky-high Ticket Prices

According to a survey by Dan Tri, airfare during the Tet holiday is multiple times higher than usual.

For the Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi route, passengers have to spend 5.5-7.4 million VND for a round-trip ticket. Despite the high price, Vietnam Airlines has sold out all economy and premium economy seats from January 30th to February 17th, 2026 (from the 13th day of the last lunar month to the 1st day of the first lunar month). Passengers can only choose business class, which costs nearly 8.8 million VND per ticket.

Notably, for Vietjet’s Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi route, the closer to Tet, the higher the price. If the cheapest price (excluding taxes and fees) on February 3rd, 2026 (the 16th day of the last lunar month) is 890,000 VND, ten days later (on the 26th day of the last lunar month), it increases to 2.79 million VND, more than three times the original price. On February 16th (the 29th day of the last lunar month), the lowest price is 1.99 million VND.

In contrast, flights from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City are much more affordable. For example, on February 16th (the 29th day of the last lunar month), the cheapest ticket price (excluding taxes and fees) is only 490,000 VND, which is 25% of the price for the reverse route. This 490,000 VND price is maintained from February 17th to 18th (the 1st and 2nd day of the new lunar year).

Similarly, passengers flying from Ho Chi Minh City to Quy Nhon have to pay a minimum of 4.8 million VND with Vietjet and up to 9.1 million VND with Vietnam Airlines. Airfare for the Ho Chi Minh City – Nha Trang route ranges from 3.6 to 8.6 million VND, while the Ho Chi Minh City – Da Nang route costs around 4.4-6 million VND.

For the Ho Chi Minh City – Thanh Hoa and Ho Chi Minh City – Vinh routes, round-trip airfare during Tet ranges from 7 to 7.45 million VND, and for Ho Chi Minh City – Hai Phong, it is 7.3 million VND.

Therefore, domestic airlines recommend that passengers book their tickets early to avoid scarcity and price surges closer to Tet. Passengers should also only purchase tickets through official channels or the airlines’ mobile applications to prevent the risk of fake tickets.

Bamboo Airways and Vietravel Airlines have not yet announced their Tet ticket sales plans.