Vietnamese customers no longer "prefer foreign goods" on April 30

Since the beginning of the year, Thu Thao, a 30-year-old office worker living in Hanoi, had planned to go to Thailand during the long holiday on April 30. However, after the events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification in Ho Chi Minh City were announced, Thao was quickly attracted.

"This holiday only comes once every 50 years, I don't want to miss it," Thao shared while attending the Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) 2025 in Hanoi, taking place from April 10 to 13. She looked for discounted tours at the fair to combine with this trip to Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietluxtour Communications Director Tran Thi Bao Thu said that last year, Vietnamese tourists flocked to travel internationally on April 30 because domestic airfares were too high, this year the ratio of domestic and international tours is almost equal. Nearing April 30, Ms. Thu expects the number of domestic tourists to be higher because Vietnamese tourists often buy tours close to the date. Most Vietnamese tourists choose to buy tours to visit places near the center of Ho Chi Minh City in a day such as Can Gio, Cu Chi or long-term tours to Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc. Tours such as "From old Saigon to present-day Ho Chi Minh City", "Saigon Special Forces", "Viewing the city from above" also attract a large number of interested tourists.

Ms. Ha Anh, representative of Vietravel, said that the rate of customers booking domestic and international tours on April 30 is estimated at 45%-55%, international tours are "only slightly higher" instead of the big gap like last year. The destinations favored by customers this time are Ho Chi Minh City and Dien Bien Phu. In addition, many Vietnamese customers do not travel on April 30 but "save" to go on tours on the occasion of the Vesak 2025 festival with many activities from the beginning of May.

Tourists book tours at the Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) 2025 on April 10.

iVIVU representative Nguyen Thi Kim Chi said that this year the number of customers buying domestic and international tours is 60%-40%, Vietnamese tourists traveling domestically is higher than last year. Phu Quoc is one of the most booked destinations on April 30 because it is still a beautiful season, not yet the rainy season and this year there are many new tourism products in the south of the island attracting interested customers.

Explaining the reversal of domestic and international tours this year, Ms. Kim Chi said that although airfares during the holidays are still high, there are still cheap tickets at certain flight times. Some airlines have a strategy of reducing prices, and tourists choose tours by train or driving their own cars across Vietnam. "People choose not to use airfares, and tours by train are also growing this year," Ms. Chi said. Unlike buying a package tour when traveling internationally, Vietnamese tourists traveling domestically often choose a combo package including transportation and hotel rooms to get a better price than buying separately.

In addition, iVIVU also recorded a large number of guests living in Ho Chi Minh City and Bien Hoa booking rooms in the city center on April 30 to watch the parade and fireworks. The areas with fully booked rooms are the walking street, along the Saigon River, and near the Independence Palace. "Ho Chi Minh City is very large, so this year people tend to book hotels near the event venues so they can walk to see them closer," Ms. Chi added. Guests from Hanoi also recorded a large number of booking tours to Ho Chi Minh City and combining them with other destinations such as Mui Ne, Phan Thiet, and Vung Tau.

Nguyen Ha Truc Nhi, 25, who lives in Thu Duc City, also stayed in the city this time to watch the parade, fireworks display and watch helicopters perform. Instead of going from home to the event venue, Truc Nhi rented a hotel room in the city center for convenience in watching the parade. "My house is quite far away, so renting a hotel is the best option," Nhi said.

Flamingo Redtours General Director Nguyen Cong Hoan said that this year, tourists are interested in "returning to the roots" tour products on the occasion of April 30, including experiences such as spring in the war zone, marching in the forest, recreating the heroic history of the nation in Thai Nguyen. Sea tourism products by train are also popular with customers thanks to reasonable costs and safe travel.

Mr. Hoan said that traveling by car or plane is too popular and is just a means of transportation. Meanwhile, traveling by train is also an experience because passengers sitting on the train can see the whole scenery along the way. Groups of tourists traveling during the holidays are families with young children, wanting to experience a night on the train during their journey across the country.

Nguyen Lan Anh, the company's outbound customer service manager, said that this year Vietnamese customers have become accustomed to and accepted that airfares will be high during the holidays. Therefore, although airfares this year are 10-15% higher than last year, Vietnamese customers are not as "shocked" as before. Instead of choosing destinations by air, many tourists choose nearby destinations and short trips, 3 days 2 nights, not going all 5 days of the holiday like last year.

"Vietnamese tourists are increasingly traveling smarter, and know how to optimize costs as much as possible on every occasion," said Ms. Lan Anh.

(According to VnExpress)

Source: https://baoyenbai.com.vn/226/348627/Khach-Viet-khong-con-sinh-ngoai-dip-304.aspx