Despite the sharp increase in airfares, a large number of passengers are still crowding Vietnamese airports on a regular basis as demand skyrockets during the summer travel season.

It is now almost impossible to find cheap flight tickets, even if passengers choose to travel early in the morning or late at night.

Thu Yen, a Ho Chi Minh City resident, said she recently bought two round-trip tickets to central Da Nang City at VND6.7 million (US$286).

Her flight to Da Nang will depart at 6:00 am so she will have to wake up very early to get to the airport.

“The airfare is as expensive as that during the Lunar New Year period,” Yen complained, referring to Vietnam's Tet holiday.

“This is unbelievable.”

On the websites of some Vietnamese airlines, the prices of flight tickets to tourist destinations in Vietnam in July and August have jumped sharply.

Flights along the Ho Chi Minh City-Hanoi route currently cost about VND2.3-4 million ($98-171) per ticket, up 20-30 percent compared to June.

A one-way ticket between Hanoi and Phu Quoc is offered at VND1.9-3.5 million ($81-150), while that for the Ho Chi Minh City-Da Nang route is at least VND1.3 million ($55).

Travel demand has skyrocketed during summertime, with an average of 650-800 flights and 110,000-120,000 passengers recorded on a daily basis, said Nguyen Minh Tuan, deputy director of the Southern Airports Authority.

Although this is a sign of post-pandemic recovery, the surge in demand puts great pressure on the management and operation of major airports in the country, Tuan continued.

The flight frequency and passenger volume are almost equal to those during the Lunar New Year holiday, mainly in the domestic market.

This is why domestic terminals have been constantly overcrowded, which is opposite to the quietness at international halls.

Nguyen Nam Tien, deputy director of Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, said that it is already overloaded, adding that the situation has been exacerbated due to the increase in flight frequency and passengers.

Multiple flights have been delayed and canceled, especially during peak hours, Tien elaborated.

Tan Son Nhat's domestic terminal often runs out of waiting seats, while the check-in and security screening areas are usually swarmed, according to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters.

Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, a passenger aboard a Vietjet Air flight, said he had to wait about 30-40 minutes to be able to exit the plane.

The baggage claim carousel was also full of people, Quynh added.

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