What's special about traveling during the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026?

(NLĐO) – The 9-day Tet holiday has stimulated demand for spring travel among locals and tourists, with many destinations packed with visitors at the beginning of the year.

By the afternoon of February 19th (the 3rd day of Tet), many travel companies reported that they were still busy serving tourists celebrating the Lunar New Year with hundreds of domestic and international tours.

Vietravel Tourism Company estimates it will serve more than 200,000 customers during the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday, on both domestic and international travel itineraries. This figure reflects the high demand for travel, especially among family groups.

According to Vietravel's statistics, the structure of tourists during this year's Tet holiday shows a fairly balanced distribution between domestic tours (42%) and international tours (58%). The most popular itineraries are mainly 4-6 day tours. The number of overseas Vietnamese returning home for Tet increased by about 30% compared to the same period last year, indicating that the trend of family reunions combined with tourism is becoming increasingly popular.

For domestic tours, coastal destinations and places with pleasant climates continue to be preferred choices for tourists, such as Phu Quoc, Da Nang , Quy Nhon, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Phan Thiet - Mui Ne…

During this Tet holiday alone, Vietravel served approximately 200,000 customers on domestic and international tours.

Tourists travel on the first day of Tet (Lunar New Year) and receive lucky money.

Mr. Pham Anh Vu, Deputy General Director of Viet Travel Company, said that this year's Tet holiday tour market has seen a major change as customers are proactively booking tours very early, no longer waiting until the last minute to make reservations as before.

In 2026, the tourism industry aims to welcome 25 million international visitors, serve 150 million domestic tourists, and achieve total revenue of approximately 1,125 trillion VND. The extended Lunar New Year holiday is expected to be a major boost for the tourism industry.

Key destinations such as Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, and the Northern Vietnam tour packages (Hanoi, Sapa, Ha Giang...) are in high demand. Prior to this, many tour groups had to add extra departures on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd days of Tet (Lunar New Year) to meet the surge in demand.

"Phu Quoc and Nha Trang are popular coastal destinations for family groups. In Phu Quoc, the number of visitors has increased by 20-30% compared to the same period last year. Hanoi and the Northwest regions are attracting many tourists thanks to the cool weather and cultural experiences," Mr. Vu said.

Saigontourist Travel Service Company's Spring Festival tour groups are exploring domestic destinations.

In Ho Chi Minh City, besides familiar check-in spots like Nguyen Hue Flower Street and the Tet Book Street 2026, many new products are also attracting domestic and international tourists. A highlight is the waterway tourism experience, combining the folk art of Hoa Thanh Tien and the sounds of the Central Highlands' gongs on a double-decker river bus in the Bach Dang Wharf area, implemented by Saigon WaterGO.

This new river tourism program is expected to create a unique cultural and waterway transportation ecosystem, contributing to the modern tourism landscape of Ho Chi Minh City.

Tourists experience the Central Highlands gong culture on the Saigon River during Tet.

New offerings on double-decker river buses attract foreign tourists during the Lunar New Year holiday.

A group of tourists from Ben Thanh Tourist Company visited Sapa during Tet 2026.

Vietnamese tourists flocked to travel during the Lunar New Year holiday, exploring destinations both domestically and internationally as this year's Tet holiday lasted 9 days.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/du-lich-tet-binh-ngo-2026-co-gi-dac-sac-196260219150624563.htm