Travel during the holiday season is starting to get busy.

The atmosphere surrounding the purchase of train, bus, and plane tickets for the Hung Kings Commemoration Day, April 30th, and May 1st holidays has begun to heat up.

At the Eastern Bus Station (Ho Chi Minh City) on April 12th, passengers continuously approached ticket counters to inquire about schedules, ticket prices, and departure times for buses during the upcoming holiday period.

Bus tickets are scarce.

Tourist routes, trips back home, and trips to Central Vietnam are the most popular. Several bus companies have reported that many trips during the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day (April 26th) are already sold out. At the ticket counter of Phuong Trang - FUTA Bus Lines, staff said that the ticket price for the Ho Chi Minh City - Da Lat route is around 260,000 VND, but tickets for the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day are already sold out.

Ticket shortages are also occurring on many routes in Central Vietnam, such as Ho Chi Minh City - Quang Ngai and Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang, during the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day holiday. To date, airlines have not provided any information on additional flights; and tickets for the April 30th and May 1st holidays are not yet on sale.

At the Eastern Bus Station (Ho Chi Minh City), many routes are experiencing a shortage of tickets during the holiday period. Photo: NGOC QUY

Meanwhile, at the new Eastern Bus Station, demand for travel has increased on routes to coastal areas. Mr. Bui Huu Cuong (a resident of Thu Duc ward) said his family planned to go to Khanh Hoa for a long holiday, but ticket prices have increased quite sharply this year. "I want to take my children to the beach and visit our grandparents in the countryside, but ticket prices this holiday are higher than in previous years," Mr. Cuong wondered.

According to staff at Nhu Quynh bus company, the regular bus fare for the Ho Chi Minh City - Ninh Thuan (now part of Khanh Hoa province) route ranges from 240,000 to 280,000 VND, subject to further fluctuations in fuel prices. For a sleeper bus (Type 1), the fare is approximately 470,000 VND during holidays.

At the Kumho Samco Bus Lines counter, staff confirmed that seats are scarce on some routes to the Central Highlands. Specifically, tickets for the Ho Chi Minh City - Dak Lak route are sold out for April 24th, and only a few seats remain for April 25th. For April 29th, very few tickets are left, priced at 450,000 VND per ticket.

"Careful consideration" when raising ticket prices.

Speaking to reporters, a representative from the new Eastern Bus Station said they have planned to serve passengers traveling during the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day, April 30th, and May 1st holidays.

Due to the two consecutive holidays, workers can proactively take two extra working days off in between to extend the holiday to a total of nine days. Therefore, the new Eastern Bus Station anticipates a high increase in passenger volume during this period, mainly concentrated on short-distance routes and tourist routes such as Ho Chi Minh City to the Central Highlands and Central Vietnam. On April 29th and 30th, the station forecasts 15,000-16,000 passengers per day, double the usual number. Bus companies will apply a surcharge of no more than 40% to compensate for empty return trips, applicable for a maximum of three days, from April 29th to May 1st.

Representatives from the new Eastern Bus Station reported that due to the impact of oil prices, as of April 12th, 28 transport companies had adjusted ticket prices compared to normal days, with an average increase of 17%. The price increase was carefully considered by the companies in the context of competition with bus operators both inside and outside the station.

Airlines will increase flights to meet passenger demand. Photo: LAM GIANG

According to Mr. Tran Nhan Hau, Head of Operations at the Western Bus Station (Ho Chi Minh City), many people may proactively combine the two upcoming holidays, so the number of passengers is expected to exceed 3% compared to the same period in 2025, and the station is ready to deploy additional buses. During this holiday, some businesses will add a 40% surcharge to ticket prices to compensate for empty return trips.

Mr. Hau stated that due to the continuous fluctuations in fuel prices, from March 1st to the present, 71 out of 147 transport companies at the Western Bus Station have increased their regular fares. The lowest increase was 2% (Soc Trang route) and the highest was 36.3% (Tra Vinh route). As of now, one of the major companies, Phuong Trang, has not yet increased its fares.

"To retain regular customers, many businesses are hesitant to raise ticket prices. The fact that some large businesses haven't increased prices yet is helping to keep prices down during the holiday season," Mr. Hau commented.

Airline ready

Throughout the day, reporters from Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper observed that while many domestic flight tickets for the Hung Kings Commemoration Day, April 30th, and May 1st holidays were available, prices remained high.

For the Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi route, the lowest fares offered by Vietjet, Vietravel Airlines, and SUN PhuQuoc Airways are from 2.7 to 2.8 million VND; Vietnam Airlines' lowest fares start from 3 million VND. For popular destinations like Phu Quoc, fares from Ho Chi Minh City are around 1.5 to 1.8 million VND per person; from Hanoi, the lowest fares are up to 4 million VND…

To meet the increased travel demand during the holiday season, Vietjet continues to increase flights on routes across Vietnam.

The airline announced it will operate nearly 3,800 flights between April 25 and May 5, with a total of 500 additional flights, equivalent to a 16% increase compared to the same period last year. These additional flights will be operated on routes with high demand, such as those to and from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Hue, Quang Binh, Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, and Phu Quoc.

Vietnam Airlines Group (including Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, and Vasco) also expects to provide nearly 1.12 million seats on domestic and international flights during the peak holiday season, a 15.5% increase compared to the same period in 2025.

On routes between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang, the number of seats offered increased by nearly 30% compared to normal, while the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City route saw a 12% increase. Flights to tourist destinations also increased during this period, with routes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang and Phu Quoc increasing by nearly 20%…

Mr. Nguyen Quang Trung, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Airlines, informed that the airline proactively allocates resources, increases flights, and flexibly manages operations to meet passenger demand while maintaining domestic and international air connections.

Railways also increased their services.

The Vietnam Railway Transport Joint Stock Company has just announced a plan to increase train services to serve passengers during the upcoming Hung Kings Commemoration Day and the April 30th - May 1st holidays.

To date, tens of thousands of train tickets for the peak holiday season have been sold. Photo: NGOC QUY

Accordingly, from April 24th to May 3rd, the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route will continue to maintain 5 pairs of trains running daily, including SE1/2, SE3/4, SE5/6, SE7/8, and SE9/10; and will also run additional trains SE11/SE12 during peak periods. Additional trains will be added to routes with high travel demand such as Ho Chi Minh City - Quy Nhon, Ho Chi Minh City - Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City - Phan Thiet, Hanoi - Dong Hoi, Hanoi - Da Nang, Hanoi - Lao Cai, Hanoi - Hai Phong, and Da Lat - Trai Mat.

The railway industry continues to implement various discount policies for war veterans, the elderly, children, students, etc. To date, approximately 44,200 train tickets for the peak holiday period have been sold.

Source: https://ttbc-hcm.gov.vn/di-lai-dip-le-bat-dau-nhon-nhip-1021082.html