Be cautious when buying Tet holiday flight tickets online.

Although there are still more than four months until the Lunar New Year of the Horse, many people are already busy hunting for tickets to return home or go on vacation. Along with the increased demand, risks are also beginning to emerge, from rapidly rising ticket prices and counterfeit tickets to scams involving "fake reservations."

Passengers check in at Da Nang International Airport. Photo: THANH LAN

Ticket prices remain high.

Since the end of September, the phrase "Tet 2026 tickets" has become a trending keyword at ticket offices and airline ticket websites.

Ms. Tran Thi Hoa, a passenger working in Da Nang who needed to travel to Ho Chi Minh City for Tet (Lunar New Year), shared her difficulties: "After hearing that airlines were selling Tet tickets, I immediately accessed the website to book a ticket, but it took quite a few attempts to finally buy the ticket I wanted."

Similarly, Mr. Ho Si Luan, who plans to return to Hanoi for Tet (Lunar New Year), said that this year airlines started selling tickets early, but prices did not decrease; in fact, for some "hot" routes, ticket prices remained high, or even increased compared to last year.

Surveys conducted on online ticket sales websites and at local airline ticket agencies show that ticket prices for the Lunar New Year holiday were already high from the very first sales period. Compared to the 2025 Lunar New Year, this year's prices are significantly higher. Notably, after just one week of ticket sales, prices for many routes have doubled.

Passengers arrive in Da Nang by air. Photo: THANH LAN

According to Ms. Le Thi Hao, a person who specializes in hunting for cheap tickets to resell for profit, Vietjet initially offered tickets for the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route at 890,000 - 1.2 million VND (excluding taxes and fees). After adding taxes and fees, customers had to pay 1.5 - 1.8 million VND per ticket. But just a week later, the price doubled to 1.7 - 1.8 million VND (excluding taxes and fees), and by the 25th day of the 12th lunar month, the price skyrocketed to 2.3 - 2.8 million VND, and after taxes and fees, it became 3.3 - 3.7 million VND per ticket…

Reportedly, in the first sales phase, Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet released nearly 6 million Tet holiday flight tickets to the market.

Specifically, Vietnam Airlines Group (including Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, and VASCO) officially opened early ticket sales for the 2026 Lunar New Year. The peak period will last from February 2nd to March 3rd, 2026 (i.e., from the 15th day of the 12th lunar month to the 15th day of the 1st lunar month), with a total of over 3.5 million seats sold across its domestic and international flight network, an increase of nearly 20% compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, Vietjet Air also opened early sales for 2.5 million tickets, for flights from February 3, 2026 to March 2, 2026, which is from the 16th day of the 12th lunar month of the Year of the Dragon to the 13th day of the 1st lunar month of the Year of the Horse.

Be cautious when buying tickets online.

Along with opening early ticket sales for the Lunar New Year holiday, airlines also advise buyers to be cautious when booking tickets online. This is because scams and impersonation of airline agents frequently occur during this time.

The Lunar New Year holiday is a time when demand for air travel increases dramatically. Photo: THANH LAN

According to Mr. Nguyen Hoang Phong, a communications officer at VietJet Air, people should only book tickets on the airline's official websites or authorized agents. Currently, many fake websites mimicking the airline's logo and interface very cleverly, making it difficult for customers to distinguish them. Some individuals even form groups of "collaborators hunting for cheap tickets," using the tactic of "reserving seats on behalf of others" to steal money.

To avoid buying counterfeit or overpriced tickets during the peak Tet (Lunar New Year) season of the Year of the Horse, customers should request a proper invoice from the seller when purchasing tickets. They should also pay special attention to accessing the airline's official website or contacting the call center directly for assistance with booking and ticket purchases.

A typical case involving fraud: Ms. Do Thi Hoang Mai, residing in Ngu Hanh Son ward, said that this year she needed to travel to Ho Chi Minh City for Tet (Lunar New Year) but found it difficult to book tickets directly through airlines' programs. Seeing many advertisements for cheap air tickets on Facebook, she decided to book through a website advertised online. Immediately after booking, she received a message from a personal Zalo account requesting a bank transfer to reserve the ticket. However, after transferring over 2 million VND, the person cut off contact and blocked her phone number.

Meanwhile, Vietnam Airlines Group stated that the perpetrators' tactic is to impersonate first-tier airline agents. When customers check in for flights, they receive a booking code along with a request for urgent payment to avoid cancellation. After receiving the money, the perpetrators do not issue the tickets and cut off all contact.

Other scammers will send emails or text messages notifying customers that they have "won a prize" or "received a flight ticket offer" along with an attached link. When customers access the link and provide their information, the scammers will steal credit card information, bank account information, or request payment.

In addition to the methods mentioned above, many scammers, after receiving money from customers, still issue tickets but then cancel them (at the customer's expense) and keep a large portion of the ticket price paid by the buyer.

Therefore, passengers need to be cautious when booking their tickets online. In addition, the timing of booking Tet holiday tickets is considered very important.

According to the experience of many travelers, customers should buy Tet holiday flight tickets 1-3 months in advance. This is also considered a safe timeframe and makes it easier to find cheap tickets. Buyers should also avoid peak flight days during Tet to get lower prices.

Additionally, consider flying at night, as tickets are significantly cheaper than daytime flights. Also, book a round-trip ticket to ensure a stable price. In particular, choose tickets that allow changes/refunds/exchanges to have more flexibility if your schedule changes.

Ms. Pham Thi Quynh, a flight ticket agency owner, advises that in addition to buying tickets directly from airlines, reputable agencies and ticket offices are also a very beneficial sales channel for passengers. If buying tickets from an agency, customers will receive advice and support from staff from price updates and ticket issuance to airport arrival. This is very convenient for buyers who don't have much experience flying, especially during the peak Tet holiday season when unexpected issues can easily arise…

Source: https://baodanang.vn/can-trong-khi-mua-ve-may-bay-tet-qua-mang-3306169.html