Flight tickets for the 2025 Lunar New Year holiday (Tet) in Vietnam are both expensive and scarce, especially on domestic routes linking major cities with other provinces across the country.

Lots of travel agencies shared that airfares for group bookings were as high as those for individuals.

This has significantly hiked the cost of domestic tours, making them even pricier than some international trips and prompting many travelers to opt for overseas tours.

A survey conducted by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Wednesday this week across the websites of local carriers like Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Bamboo Airways, and Vietravel Airlines indicated substantial price increases for Tet flights, especially between January 25 and February 2, 2025 (the 26th of the 12th lunar month to the fifth of the first lunar month).

Airfares for the Tet holiday have doubled compared to normal days and been higher than two months ago.

For instance, on the Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi route, budget carrier Vietjet offered the lowest round-trip fare at VND7.2 million (US$283), while other local airlines charged between VND7.3 million ($287) and VND7.5 million ($295).

Fares on this route have risen by some VND300,000 ($11.7) since September.

Regarding the route linking the southern hub with Thanh Hoa Province in north-central Vietnam, Vietjet’s tickets cost VND7.3 million while national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines charged VND10 million ($393).

Notably, tickets for Ho Chi Minh City - Dong Hoi flights on January 24-25 were sold out.

Round-trip fares for flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang City and Quy Nhon City, both in central Vietnam ranged from VND5 million ($196) to VND5.9 million ($232).

Some air ticketing agents reported a difference of VND800,000-1.2 million ($31-47) per round-trip ticket compared to normal days. 

For busy routes like the Ho Chi Minh - Hanoi, tickets for peak travel times cost VND6-8 million ($235-314), significantly higher than the Tet 2024 prices of VND6-6.7 million ($235-236).

Despite the high airfares, demand remains strong, particularly for prime travel times.

The lack of ticket availability forced many holidaymakers to book their flights early to avoid even higher last-minute fares.

Minh Trang, an office worker in Ho Chi Minh City who always returns to her hometown for Tet, shared that she was hesitant about booking a flight for the upcoming Tet, since the airfare is as high as VND8 million ($314).

Trang added that she was waiting to see if additional flights or better deals become available.

Tuoi Tre has reached some local airline representatives and insiders for comments on the issue.

Hang Quang Tuan, director of Ngoc Mai Travel Company in Ho Chi Minh City, said that Tet flights bound for provinces across the country have been almost fully booked, adding that ticket price hikes remained within regulated caps.

He went on to say that Tet marks the busiest travel season, particularly between Ho Chi Minh City and northern provinces. 

However, the limited flight frequencies of 5-7 flights per day per airline at provincial airports, where Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet are responsible for operating most of the flights, has left travel demand far outstripping supply. 

Smaller carriers with limited fleets struggle to add more flights.

Local carriers justified high Tet airfares as a necessity to offset costs from unbalanced demand. 

They said that flights bound for northern Vietnam from the south are fully booked before Tet, while return flights are often empty. After Tet, the reverse occurs.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre, a representative of a major local carrier announced plans to add 2,000 seats per day on Tet holiday routes.

“We expect to increase flights and introduce more fare types next week. 

“However, finding fares as cheap as regular days will be extremely difficult,” the representative said.

Some individuals argued that airlines are taking advantage of Tet soaring travel demand to maximize their profits and prioritize their revenue over passenger affordability. 

Industry experts said the lack of competition in the local aviation market was a key reason for high Tet airfares. 

The domestic market is dominated by a few large carriers, reducing competitiveness on price and services during peak seasons.

Foreign airlines being not allowed to operate domestic routes and infrastructure constraints prevent the entry of new carriers. As a result, travelers have limited affordable options.

One expert took examples of mature markets like the U.S. or Europe where fierce airline competition keeps prices reasonable, even during peak times.

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