Near the holiday, some routes are sold out

According to VietNamNet reporters on August 29, on crowded flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to famous tourist destinations such as Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Quy Nhon, etc. during the 4-day National Day holiday, some flights were sold out; some flights still had tickets but the number of flights and seats was limited and the prices were sky-high.

Specifically, from August 31 (beginning of the holiday) to September 3 (end of the holiday), the Hanoi - Da Nang route on Vietjet Air has sold out all tickets for good times; the departure flight on August 31 only has late flights, the return flight on September 3 only has one early flight and a few late flights, the ticket price is very high at 4.5 million VND/round trip ticket (including taxes and fees).

This expensive price is also recorded on Vietnam Airlines' ticketing system.

For the Hanoi - Nha Trang flight, Vietjet's flight tickets from Hanoi are almost sold out, with only one flight left with few seats; while there are still many return flights, but the average ticket price is up to over 6 million VND/round trip ticket.

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Flight tickets from Hanoi to Nha Trang are almost sold out. Screenshot

There are still some flights on Vietnam Airlines for the outbound leg, but the return flight from Nha Trang on September 3rd has already been booked at some good times. Round-trip tickets on the airline's system are up to 7.5 million VND.

Airfares have increased dramatically for the Hanoi - Phu Quoc route, which already has few flights due to domestic airlines reducing their frequency.

On Vietnam Airlines' system, if passengers choose to fly directly without stopping in Ho Chi Minh City, there is only one outbound flight left (August 31) priced at 4.4 million VND; there are 2 return flights priced at 4.4 million VND. In total, passengers who want to travel to Phu Quoc and book now will have to spend 8.8 million VND/round-trip ticket.

Meanwhile, Vietjet is fully booked for the outbound flight, with many return flights still available with an average price of 2.3-4.2 million VND depending on the flight time.

From Ho Chi Minh City, the price of a round-trip flight to Da Nang is also up to 4.3 million VND. For the route to Nha Trang, there is only a night flight, departing at 10pm, while the return flight is sold out.

The difference compared to the April 30-May 1 holiday is that because there is more time for children to have summer vacation, families choose to travel by car more, so air tickets for this route are very slow. During the September 2 holiday, because it is close to the new school year, air travel is chosen more. This is similar to the Ho Chi Minh City - Phu Quoc flight when there are only tickets left for the outbound trip, the return trip is sold out.

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Passenger travel demand increased during the September 2 holiday. Photo: Hoang Ha

Know how to buy, still have reasonable price

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh (Cau Giay, Hanoi) shared that a week ago she had planned to go to Quy Nhon on September 2. Looking at the tickets on the system, she saw that if she flew out/back on the day off, the ticket price would be very expensive. Therefore, she decided to take leave 2 days early and return 2 days early.

“My family of 4 adults spent more than 11.6 million VND on tickets, which is less than 3 million VND/person. The flight time is also good, arriving at 3:20 pm, and landing at Noi Bai is expected to be at 5:30 pm. Coming home early gives us time to rest, and the children have more time to prepare for the new school year,” she said.

According to research, by August 29, if you book a flight from Hanoi to Quy Nhon departing one day earlier (August 30) and returning on September 2, the round-trip ticket price will only be 3.4 million VND/person. Meanwhile, if you choose to travel on the right holiday, the ticket price will double, up to 6.3-6.5 million VND (Vietjet), even up to more than 7 million VND (Vietnam Airlines).

Many people believe that if they can arrange their work and know how to choose the time and date of flight, they can still buy plane tickets at reasonable prices. Moreover, they can also avoid the crowded and overloaded situations at tourist destinations, leading to unsatisfactory service quality.

According to Noi Bai International Airport, during the 4-day National Day holiday on September 2, there will be about 338,000 passengers and more than 2,100 flights through Noi Bai.

Of which, September 3 will be the day with the highest number of visitors with more than 96 thousand arrivals (nearly 35 thousand international arrivals, more than 61 thousand domestic arrivals) and 569 flights (238 international flights, 331 domestic flights).

But at Tan Son Nhat (HCMC), the number of passengers passing through this port during the holiday is expected to decrease by 2% compared to the same period last year, reaching an average of about 108,000 passengers per day.

Airfares on September 2nd are twice as expensive as usual, with a round-trip ticket to Phu Quoc costing nearly 8 million VND. The demand for a late summer getaway before the new school year is high, combined with the 4-day National Day holiday, so airfares on September 2nd are starting to heat up. Most of the "hot routes" are twice as expensive as usual, with a round-trip ticket from Hanoi to Phu Quoc alone costing nearly 8 million VND.