Airfare from Hanoi to Saigon up to 10 million VND

The difference in supply and demand after Tet pushes the price of one-way airfare from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City to about 10 million VND, if purchased close to the date.

Surveyed on the morning of February 15 (the 6th day of Tet), airfares from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City on February 15, 16, 17 and 18 were fluctuating around 10 million VND/ticket, and on February 19 the price was 7.7 million VND. From February 20, ticket prices began to decrease and by the end of February, the price returned to normal - around over 1 million VND.

According to Mr. Bui Thanh Tu, Marketing Director of Best Price, the current ticket price for the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route is "not unusual" because the economy class is sold out, only business class is available. If booked a week in advance, tourists can still buy a one-way ticket for more than 3 million VND - double the usual price.

Demand for this route after Tet is always high, so economy class tickets sell out quickly. "If you book close to the departure date, you will have to pay a high price," said Mr. Tu.

Passengers check in at Tan Son Nhat airport in 2023. Photo: Quynh Tran — Passengers check in at Tan Son Nhat airport in 2023. Photo: *Quynh Tran*

Best Price's ticket office data also shows that airfares from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City have not fluctuated much since the 5th day of Tet in the past few years. In 2019, 2020 and 2023, ticket prices including taxes and fees were around VND3.6-3.8 million one way. This year, if you buy early, customers can also book tickets for this route for around VND2.8 million one way.

Ms. Hoang Tuyet, Director of Top One Travel, commented that Tet airfares are almost constant and not affected by objective factors. The main reason is the large gap between supply and demand, and the number of airlines remains unchanged. Ms. Tuyet said that travel agencies can still "hold" a number of Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City tickets to sell with a low risk rate. If you book round-trip tickets early, customers can completely access "reasonable" prices.

Currently, the one-way price of 10 million VND for the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route is much higher than many international flights in late February such as Hanoi - Bangkok (about 1.7-2.1 million VND); Hanoi - Kuala Lumpur (about 3 million VND); Hanoi - Singapore (from 3.5 million VND). The price difference on similar long-distance flights is due to "different travel purposes and needs", said a Best Price representative.

According to a survey by VnExpress, Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City is the domestic route with the highest price after Tet. In addition, some routes from the North or Central region to Ho Chi Minh City also have a similar situation.

The Thanh Hoa - Ho Chi Minh City route is sold out from February 14 to February 20. From February 20, the average ticket price is around 3.5-6 million VND each way (weekday ticket price is from 1.5-3.9 million VND).

The Vinh - Ho Chi Minh City route is also sold out for all classes from February 14 to February 19. From February 21 to February 25, the economy class fare is about 2.6-3.5 million VND each way - on weekdays it is about 1.4-2.1 million VND each way.

There are no more tickets for the Da Nang - Ho Chi Minh City route from February 14 to February 19. On February 20, there are business class tickets priced at VND5 million each way. From February 21 onwards, ticket prices will start to stabilize, around VND2.2-3.4 million each way - double the normal price.

However, at present, some popular domestic tourist routes still have stable prices such as Hanoi - Da Nang (about 1.8 million VND), Hanoi - Phu Quoc (2-4 million VND), Hanoi - Nha Trang (about 1.5-3.5 million VND). According to many travel agencies, after Tet, tourism demand is not high so prices are stable.

Tu Nguyen

Source link