Near the end of the trip, the couple calculated that the family's total travel expenses were about 52 million VND, including: 36 million VND for a tour for 4 people, 6 million VND for additional travel services, 10 million VND for clothes, gifts, snacks, etc.

During the tour, they visited Bangkok and Pattaya, stayed at a 4-star hotel, and had their breakfast/lunch/dinner served quite deliciously and appropriately. Their two sons were at an age where they liked to explore, so in addition to the group's tour schedule, Mr. Duc and his wife also took their children to visit some more destinations in the evening.

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At many Vietnamese travel agencies, Thailand tours are "sold out" on September 2. Photo: Best Price

"Before the vacation, my husband, wife and children discussed the travel plan quite thoroughly. During the 2 months of the children's summer vacation, the whole family took advantage of some short trips such as Mai Chau (2 days 1 night), Nha Trang (4 days 3 nights).

On September 2nd, my wife and I both had 4 days off, our two children had not started the new school year yet. Initially, my wife looked into domestic travel, specifically a vacation in Phu Quoc. According to research, the cost of round-trip airfare for the whole family is about 16 million VND (not convenient at the moment), 4-5 star hotel/resort is 10 million VND, food - entertainment - transportation is more than 10 million VND.

We love vacations, but our two children find them boring. They want to go abroad to explore and see new places. My wife also thinks that 'domestic travel is always good', so the whole family switched to Thailand.

My husband and I asked for 2 more days off to join the 5-day, 4-night tour," said Mr. Duc.

According to him, the cost of a family trip to Thailand is a little higher than going to Phu Quoc and much higher than going to Da Nang, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan... but in return there are many exciting experiences for the children.

"To be fair, I find the scenery of this Thailand tour not as beautiful as many tourist areas in Vietnam, and the 4-star hotels are not as comfortable as in Vietnam. However, the tourism services are very good, there is no overcrowding like many destinations in Vietnam during the holidays," said Mr. Duc.

Nguyen Thanh Ha (28 years old, Hanoi) also chose Bangkok as her destination for the September 2nd holiday, even though she has been to Thailand more than 10 times.

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Thanh Ha spent more than 13 million VND to travel to Thailand during the September 2 holiday. Photo: NVCC

Ha said that she and her friend came to Bangkok with the main purpose of attending a music event, then spent time checking in at new destinations there. Ha calculated that the total cost for a 5-day, 4-night self-guided trip was more than 13 million VND/person, of which round-trip airfare booked early was 3.6 million VND, accommodation was 2 million VND, tickets to attend the music event were 3 million VND, shopping - eating - traveling was about 5 million VND.

For Ha, traveling to Thailand is “so convenient, fun and cheap”, with many events that attract young Vietnamese people in particular and Asians in general. “I often hunt for cheap air tickets on the Hanoi - Bangkok route, but it is very difficult to find domestic flights at suitable prices, especially during the holidays.

Choosing to travel abroad during the holidays, I don't have to worry about overcrowding or overpriced travel. Tourism services in Thailand are very professional, constantly innovating, always creating a new feeling for tourists," Thanh Ha said.

According to statistics released by the booking application Booking.com, Bangkok (Thailand) is the city that Vietnamese tourists are most interested in searching and choosing on the occasion of September 2. Chiang Mai of this country is also an attractive destination for Vietnamese tourists.

According to Mr. Bui Thanh Tu, Marketing Director of Best Price Travel Company, with costs equivalent to domestic air tours, tourists often tend to choose foreign tours for more attractive, novel and less crowded experiences. Vietnamese tourists especially like tours to Thailand, China, Japan, Korea... with an average spending of about 7 - 25 million VND/person, depending on the destination.

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Thailand tourism continues to attract Vietnamese tourists. Photo: Xuan Huong

Representatives of some travel agencies said that tourists from big cities such as Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City prioritize going abroad to Thailand because there are many direct flights, the journey is not too long, the travel time is moderate, and the cost is reasonable compared to domestic tours by air.

At the end of August, the weather in Thailand also starts to cool down, suitable for sightseeing and outdoor activities. This is also the time when this country is launching many tourism stimulus programs to attract visitors at the end of the year.

In addition to Thailand, Chinese tours from budget to mid-range and high-end also "won big" during the September 2 holiday. Some destinations in China have competitive tour prices, around 10-12 million VND (traveling by air), while cheap road tours are only 3-5 million VND.

Ms. Luu Thi Thu, Deputy Director of Hoang Viet Travel, said that the number of groups going to China accounted for 30% of the foreign tours the company sold on September 2. On August 31, the company had 5 groups departing to China by air and road through the Ha Khau border gate, Lao Cai and Huu Nghi Quan, Lang Son, with a total of about 150 guests.

Best Price Travel Company said that about 3 weeks before the September 2 holiday, its mid-range and high-end foreign tours to China were fully booked. Viet Travel Media Joint Stock Company also recorded that the number of groups departing to China overwhelmed other domestic and international trips.

Representatives of the evaluation units said that the advantages of the China tour on September 2 are quick visa approval procedures; diverse destinations, means of transportation and prices; close distance, many schedules to choose from.

"China tours do not require financial proof, while countries like South Korea, Japan or Europe 'tighten' visa approval procedures. This is a quite important reason why Vietnamese tourists prefer China tours," said Ms. Luu Thi Thu.

Many Vietnamese business alliances organize charter flights to ensure preferential prices for air tours to China.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu - General Director of Vitamin Tours & Events informed that on the occasion of the September 2nd holiday, the business alliance of this unit has 3 charter flights from Hanoi to Guizhou with a total of about 500 passengers. The tour cost is very reasonable compared to domestic tours by air.

Although domestic airfares have cooled down somewhat recently, ticket prices during the National Day holiday increased by about 20% compared to before the holiday. In addition, after the summer vacation, tourists have traveled domestically a lot, so they also prioritize choosing international trips with moderate duration such as China and Thailand.

On the second day of the National Day holiday on September 2, many websites posted images of a line of cars in Sa Pa (Lao Cai). The streets in the central area to Cat Cat and Ta Van villages were crowded, cars moved slowly, and many sections were congested.