Planning to take time off to take his family to Quy Nhon for the April 30 – May 1 holiday, Mr. Hoang Nam (in Hai Phong) had to “turn around” and change his schedule because the airfare for this route was higher than expected.
Mr. Nam said that every year, domestic airfares are quite affordable, but this year, prices have increased more. In particular, the Hanoi - Quy Nhon route has the highest increase among the "hot" routes, even higher than Nha Trang and Phu Quoc.
“Initially, I planned to leave on April 27 (Saturday) and return on May 1 (Wednesday). However, the cheapest ticket, with bad departure times, is around 5 million VND/round trip. For a family of 4, the cost of air travel alone would cost 20 million VND,” said Mr. Nam.
What surprised the male tourist even more was that he searched for tickets for this flight in early March, nearly 2 months before the holiday, but the ticket prices were already high.
“Normally, booking tickets a few months in advance will be cheaper, but this year is probably an exception,” the customer said.
Intending to change the schedule to another destination, but in the end, Mr. Nam decided to drive himself to take his family to the beach in Quang Ninh because the prices of domestic flights before and after the April 30 - May 1 holiday were high, ranging from 4.5 - 10 million VND/round trip ticket.
In the same situation, Ms. Bich Lien (in Hanoi) also decided to buy 3 train tickets and take her children to Da Nang to experience a food tour after not being able to find plane tickets with attractive prices.
Ms. Lien said that the flight from Hanoi to Da Nang from April 27 to May 1 is quite expensive, the cheapest is 4.8 million VND/round trip. If she takes her two children to Da Nang during this time by plane, it will cost nearly 15 million.
“Because my children love Da Nang cuisine and want to come here to eat delicious specialties, I decided to switch to taking the train. The travel time is longer, but the whole family will have more experience with a new form of transportation without having to worry about the cost of the trip,” she shared.
According to Ms. Lien, the train ticket price is suitable for many people's economic conditions. To make her schedule more convenient, she chose to travel by train SE 9, departing at 2:30 p.m. from Hanoi and arriving in Da Nang at 7:35 a.m. the next morning. The ticket price for a 1st floor sleeper, 4-berth cabin, with air conditioning is nearly 1 million VND/person.
"The total cost for the round trip ticket for the three of us was 6 million VND, almost 2/3 cheaper than traveling by plane with the same departure and destination points," the female tourist emphasized.
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According to the reporter's investigation, during the period from April 27 to May 1, domestic flight ticket prices fluctuated at a high level.
For the Hanoi - Da Lat flight of Vietnam Airlines, economy class tickets are sold out, only business class tickets are available in very limited quantity, prices range from 3.7 - 5.6 million VND/round trip.
Similarly, the Hanoi - Quy Nhon route also sold out of economy class tickets early. Business class tickets for a direct flight cost 5.2 million VND/round trip, and connecting flights cost about 13 million VND.
The Hanoi - Phu Quoc route has the highest price of about 13 million VND/person (good time, Vietnam Airlines) and the cheapest is about 2.5 million VND/round trip (fly Vietjet Air).
Flights departing from Ho Chi Minh City from April 27 to May 1 also have quite high prices. According to the survey, the lowest round-trip ticket price for the Ho Chi Minh City - Phu Quoc route of Vietravel Airlines is 3 million VND; Vietjet Air is 3.3 million VND; Vietnam Airlines is 3.9 million VND.
The Ho Chi Minh City - Nha Trang flight during this holiday is considered to have the cheapest ticket price compared to other flights, the lowest is Bamboo Airways with a price of 2.7 million VND, Vietjet Air is 3.1 million VND and the highest is Vietnam Airlines with 3.2 million VND.
For the Ho Chi Minh City – Da Lat flight, ticket prices range from 2 – 4.3 million VND/round trip. However, most flights are fully booked early, leaving few options for travelers.
Flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi costs about 6.5 million VND/round trip (flying Vietnam Airlines, economy class).
Representatives of some travel agencies commented that high airfares combined with the fact that the holiday falls in the middle of the week also makes the number of domestic tours "more sluggish" than foreign tours.
Instead of buying plane tickets, tourists also tend to switch to traveling by road and water. For “outbound” tours, Vietnamese tourists prefer land tours through the Chinese border gate or short tours to Laos and Thailand.
The increase in airfares has also had a significant impact on the demand for accommodation at destinations that require air travel. Some travel agencies have noted that there are still many vacant rooms for the April 30 – May 1 holiday.
However, tourists who want to travel to nearby destinations, by private car, train or high-speed train need to plan to book rooms early.
TB (according to Vietnamnet)Source
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