Round-trip Domestic Fare Surging
According to a survey on April 22nd, airfares are escalating on domestic routes during the peak holiday period from April 27th to May 1st. The round-trip ticket price for the Hanoi – Phu Quoc route on April 27th and returning on May 1st with Vietjet Air is nearly 8 million VND, while Vietnam Airlines is over 9 million VND.
The Hanoi – Nha Trang route on the same schedule has a fare of over 3 million VND for the outbound flight and 3.7 million VND for the return flight. Among them, on April 27th, the cheapest fares are 2.2 million VND/ticket, 3.7 million VND, and 3.6 million VND for Vietjet Air, Vietnam Airlines, and Bamboo Airways, respectively. For the Nha Trang – Hanoi route on May 1st, the ticket prices of Vietjet and Bamboo Airways range from 2.8 to 3.7 million VND. In addition, round-trip tickets to Con Dao and Quy Nhon from Hanoi during the holiday fluctuate between 7 and 9 million VND.
With the current airfare situation, many tourists have shared that they will travel to countries in the Southeast Asia region to experience air travel and explore new destinations while still maintaining affordability.
Thailand tourism attracts many tourists with costs starting from only 7 million VND.
Minh Anh, a 25-year-old resident of Hoang Mai district, shared: “During this holiday season, round-trip airfares to Da Lat are currently at 6.5 million VND. For my father, mother, and younger brother, the transportation cost alone would be over 25 million VND, excluding food and beverage expenses. Therefore, our family has opted for a 5-day, 4-night tour to Thailand, including the famous Pattaya beach, for just over 7 million VND per person, including airfare and accommodation in 4-5 star hotels. I find that traveling abroad can now save us about 5 million VND compared to domestic travel due to lower airfares.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Khang, a 30-year-old resident of Dong Da district, shared that his relatives traveled to Phu Quoc Island during the off-season in March, and the airfare was also around 7 million VND per person. During the holiday season, it is unlikely that they will be able to find cheaper fares. Therefore, Mr. Khang and his wife decided to choose a tour to Singapore and Malaysia for over 10 million VND per person.
“Domestic travel during the holidays is often crowded and congested. So, I think choosing to travel abroad is also a way to avoid the crowds,” Mr. Khang stated.
Move 1-2 Days Earlier to Get Cheaper Fares
If traveling during peak times, airfares can be extremely expensive. Therefore, some tourists have devised ways to shift their travel dates to save money.
Travelers advise each other to choose departure dates 1-2 days earlier or later to save millions of dong on airfare.
After checking airfares to Phu Quoc on May 29th, Ms. Hong from Cau Giay (Hanoi) said that the one-way fare is only 1.7 million VND, nearly 2 million VND cheaper than departing on May 27th.
“For the return flight, while the fare on May 1st is over 3.5 million VND, if I choose May 3rd, the price is only 2.3 million VND. Since my work can mostly be done remotely, my husband and I will travel from April 29th to May 3rd to enjoy the holiday.”
Similar to Ms. Hong, Mr. Vu – working at a media company in Hoan Kiem district – shared that he had requested to take an extra day off to fly on the Hanoi – Nha Trang route on April 26th with a one-way ticket priced at over 2 million VND, while the fare for the same route the next day was over 3.6 million VND.
According to data from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam , the period before and after the holiday for approximately 1 day, the booking rate has not increased much or had any significant fluctuations, mostly hovering around 30-50%. Passengers still have many options for air travel at reasonable prices on these days.
