Airfares have increased across the board.
As the school year drew to a close, Ms. Ngo Hoai An (36 years old, residing in Tan Binh ward) began planning a summer vacation for her two children after months of stressful studying. Her family planned to choose Da Nang because it offers both beaches and the opportunity to visit Hoi An and various amusement parks for children. However, when she started searching for plane tickets for the trip at the end of June, she was surprised by the sharp increase in prices.
"With four family members, the plane tickets alone cost almost as much as a previous trip . I calculated roughly that a round-trip ticket for the whole family would cost nearly 20 million VND; in the end, the family had to switch to traveling to Phan Thiet by train to save money," Hoai An added.
Hoai An is not alone; many families are currently having to adjust their summer vacation plans as airfares remain consistently high on both domestic and international routes.
Surveys on online ticketing platforms show that, even before the peak of summer, ticket prices on many routes have increased significantly compared to the same period last year. On the Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi route, prices below 2.5 million VND/one-way are now only available on some early morning or late night flights of Vietjet Air and Vietravel Airlines.
Meanwhile, many Vietjet Air flights range from 2.6 to 2.8 million VND/one-way. Bamboo Airways tickets have also increased to 3.1 to 3.5 million VND/one-way, while Vietnam Airlines mainly maintains prices above 3 million VND/one-way for popular flight times.
Not only major routes, but many routes to popular summer tourist destinations such as Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, and Da Nang have also recorded significant price increases. On the Ho Chi Minh City - Phu Quoc route, Vietnam Airlines' economy class tickets range from 3.4 to 4.8 million VND/one-way. Some early morning flights sold out of economy class tickets quite early. Similarly, round-trip tickets from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang during the summer currently range from 4.7 to 5.4 million VND per person, creating significant financial pressure for large families.
According to travel agencies in Ho Chi Minh City, rising airfares are directly impacting the purchasing power of the summer tourism market. While in previous years many families preferred air travel to save time, this year the trend is shifting towards shorter journeys by train or road.
According to the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority, the increase in airfares is due to several factors, including a strong recovery in travel demand while the number of aircraft in operation has not fully returned to pre-pandemic levels. In addition, fuel costs, aircraft leasing, maintenance, and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates continue to put significant pressure on the operations of airlines.
Furthermore, during peak hours or on popular tourist routes, bookings often fill up quickly, driving up ticket prices due to market demand. However, airlines are still offering many promotions for early morning or late night flights, or for early bookings, to provide more options for passengers.
Linking demand to reduce cost pressure
With airfares remaining high, many tourism businesses believe that this summer will force a change in how they stimulate demand to maintain purchasing power. Instead of competing with cheap tours as before, many are strengthening linkages between airlines, hotels, resorts, and attractions to create more affordable service packages for tourists.
According to tourism experts, the biggest pressure currently comes from the operating costs of airlines as global fuel prices remain highly volatile. Since the beginning of March, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has warned that rising fuel prices will directly impact the 2026 summer tourism market. Meanwhile, the supply of aircraft has not yet fully recovered, resulting in fewer additional flights during the peak season compared to previous years.
According to Mr. Tran Tuong Huy, Deputy Director of the Institute for Social Tourism Research, in the context of persistently high airfare costs, the tourism market needs to strengthen linkages between airlines, travel agencies, accommodation establishments, and destinations to create more competitively priced product packages.
According to Mr. Huy, instead of focusing solely on reducing the price of individual tours, businesses need to develop all-inclusive packages that include airfare, accommodation, and sightseeing services to optimize overall costs for tourists. Simultaneously, short-term tours and those involving land travel should also be promoted to suit current consumer trends.
Mr. Pham Anh Vu, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Tourism Media Joint Stock Company, said that airfares and input costs have increased by about 10-20% during the peak summer season.
"Airfare currently accounts for about half of the tour price, so when air travel fluctuates, businesses are forced to change how they develop products to retain customers. Many companies are now increasing their partnerships with hotels, resorts, and tourist attractions to create more reasonably priced combo packages," Mr. Vu said.
According to Mr. Vu, many businesses are now creating all-inclusive packages that include airfare, accommodation, meals, entrance tickets, or transportation to optimize overall costs for tourists, instead of just focusing on reducing tour prices.
From an accommodation perspective, many hotels and resorts in Ho Chi Minh City have stated that they are implementing promotional programs for families and early bookers, such as offering extra nights, free buffets, discounts on spa services, or airport transfers, in order to increase their appeal during the peak season.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Man, Deputy Director of Vinagroup Company, said that in the context of persistently high airfare costs, localities and tourism businesses are now proactively organizing more festivals, entertainment activities and stimulus programs to enhance experiences and extend the length of stay for tourists.
"Customers are now not only concerned about airfare but also consider the total cost of the trip. If the destination offers many benefits, good service, and rich experiences, tourists are still willing to travel even if transportation costs increase," Mr. Man added.
According to experts, in the context of ongoing cost pressures, coordination between airlines, travel agencies, and destinations will be a crucial solution to maintain the attractiveness of domestic tourism this summer.
Final article: Beware of cheap tour 'traps'
Source: https://baotintuc.vn/du-lich/du-lich-he-2026-bai-2-ap-luc-chi-phi-tu-hang-khong-20260519180803969.htm
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