On some routes, tickets are unavailable for several consecutive days, with round-trip fares reaching nearly VND10 million.

One of the busiest routes is between HCMC and Thanh Hoa. A check on airlines’ booking systems shows that on this route, Vietjet Air has sold out all outbound tickets from February 11 to February 16 (the 24th to 28th days of the 12th lunar month). 

Return flights from Thanh Hoa to HCMC have been fully booked for six consecutive days, from the 4th to the 9th day of Tet. If passengers book round-trip tickets for the period from February 10 (the Kitchen Gods Day) to the 9th day of Tet, fares reach VND8.67 million, including taxes and fees.

Similarly, Bamboo Airways is also out of tickets for the return leg until the beginning of the first new working week after Tet.

At Vietnam Airlines, Tet flight tickets for the HCMC - Thanh Hoa route are also strained from the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month to the 10th day of Tet, as the system records both directions are completely sold out. 

For those accepting early travel from the 20th-22nd day of the 12th lunar month until after the 10th day of Tet, the displayed price is VND7.5 million/round-trip ticket (including taxes and fees). From the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month to the 10th day of Tet, the price is VND8 million/round-trip ticket, and from the 29th day of the 12th lunar month to the 10th day of Tet, it reaches nearly VND9.7 million/round-trip ticket.

However, after domestic airlines added more flights, Tet ticket prices on some routes have cooled down.

For example, on the HCMC - Hanoi route, the price at Vietnam Airlines is around VND8-9 million for an early morning flight on February 10 (23rd day of the 12th lunar month) with a return on February 21 (5th day of Tet). The high price is mainly due to the return leg to HCMC after Tet, starting from VND4.5 million/leg (excluding taxes and fees).

Meanwhile, Vietjet Air and Vietravel Airlines list prices at approximately VND7.2 million/round-trip ticket (including taxes and fees) for the same departure time. The price at Bamboo Airways fluctuates from VND7.3-8.4 million/round-trip ticket.

A representative of Vietravel Airlines said that general ticket prices have not increased compared to the same period and remain competitive. Specifically, the HCMC - Hanoi route recorded prices about 5-10 percent lower than the 2025 Tet.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) under the Ministry of Construction, regarding the HCMC - Hanoi backbone route, there is generally still room for bookings, with high local demand only recorded on some days close to and after Tet. Specifically, the HCMC - Hanoi leg on February 12-13 has reached about 85-88 percent, while the reverse Hanoi - HCMC leg on February 21-23 is up to 80-96 percent.

This agency cited statistics on booking situations of domestic airlines as of January 23, showing that the domestic aviation market for the Year of the Horse Tet 2026 has recorded high travel demand and clearly demonstrates the "one-way peak" characteristic, similar to previous years.

During the pre-Tet period, especially from February 10-15 (from the 23rd to the 28th day of the 12th lunar month), travel demand is heavily concentrated on routes from HCMC to Central and Northern provinces.

Booking rates on many routes have reached over 80 percent, with a series of routes recording 90-100 percent, even reaching full capacity on peak days such as flights from HCMC to Hue, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Pleiku, Tuy Hoa, Quy Nhon, Chu Lai, Dong Hoi, and Van Don.

In the opposite direction, the number of passengers from localities to HCMC during this period is low, with many flights having booking rates below 35 percent, sometimes requiring ferry flights to ensure aircraft for the post-Tet peak.

For routes from Hanoi to Central and Southern provinces during the pre-Tet period, booking rates mostly remain low. Many routes like Hanoi to Buon Ma Thuot, Pleiku, Tuy Hoa, Quy Nhon, and Can Tho have only sold 30-60 percent of seats. Only the Hanoi - Dong Hoi route has a very high booking rate of 88-100 percent during the 3 peak days of February 12-15.

After Tet, especially from the 3rd to the 6th day of Tet (February 21-25), travel demand reverses significantly. Booking rates on routes from localities back to HCMC increased sharply, commonly at 80-100 percent, with many routes from Pleiku, Tuy Hoa, Quy Nhon, Chu Lai, Vinh, Thanh Hoa, Hue, and Hai Phong to HCMC being almost completely sold out.

Ngoc Ha