A Race to Book Flights for the Lunar New Year: “Vietnam Airlines Sells Out Multiple Seat Classes Upon Launch”

The Lunar New Year holiday always brings a surge in air travel demand, creating a “fever” for airline tickets. 2026 is no exception; since the beginning of September, the airline market has been more vibrant than ever as a series of airlines simultaneously opened early ticket sales and announced plans to increase flights.

According to records, many passengers have already planned for this long holiday. Focus routes such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang, as well as flights connecting to other provinces such as Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, and Hue, are of particular interest. Some routes even quickly faced a shortage of tickets during the first days of the sale.

To meet the significantly increased travel demand during Tet, Vietnam Airlines announced a plan to operate over 3.5 million seats on its entire domestic and international network, an increase of about 20% compared to the same period last year. Notably, the airline also added more flights during the early morning and late evening hours to provide passengers with more options.

From September 3, customers can easily book Tet tickets through the official website, mobile application, ticketing offices, or authorized agents. However, in reality, just a few days after the sale started, many “hot” routes such as Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi ran out of economy and special economy class tickets during the peak period of January 31, 2026 – February 16, 2026. Currently, passengers can only choose business class tickets priced at approximately 8 million VND (about $343) per ticket, and the number of seats is also limited to less than 10 on some flights.

Vietjet Air is also in the race. Since the end of August, the airline has offered 2.5 million tickets for the Tet period from February 3, 2026, to March 2, 2026. The Ho Chi Minh City-Hanoi route is sold at a minimum price of about VND 690,000 (about $29), while the SkyBoss class costs more than VND 4 million (excluding taxes and fees). Other routes such as Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Buon Ma Thuot also recorded starting prices from VND 1 million, providing diverse choices for customers who want to go home, travel, or visit relatives during the holiday.

In addition to the two major airlines, Bamboo Airways and Vietravel Airlines also witnessed high ticket booking demand. Accordingly, the average economy class ticket price for the Ho Chi Minh City-Hanoi route ranged from VND 2.8 million to VND 3.7 million, significantly higher than the usual daily rate.

It can be seen that the “sold-out” situation during Tet 2026 occurred earlier than in previous years, indicating the consistently high demand for travel and tourism during the Lunar New Year holiday. Airlines are making efforts to increase flights, expand flight schedules, and diversify ticket classes to meet customers’ needs.