Independent travel is on the rise during Tet season

Ms. D.H.'s family (Ho Chi Minh City) once drove to the North to celebrate Tet. In the photo: a trip to Hung Temple, Phu Tho during Tet 2024 - Photo: TTD

Families have celebrated Tet in different ways, making effective use of the 9-day holiday while tightening their belts due to the still challenging general economic situation.

According to travel companies, many tourists prefer F&E tours (where tourists only need to book basic services in advance to prepare for the trip instead of buying a package tour), and optional tours designed to cater to specific groups of customers according to their needs.

The whole family is on the bus going back to their hometown for Tet (Lunar New Year).

Ms. Thanh Huyen (Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City) said that this year her whole family decided to travel by car back to her paternal hometown in Quang Ngai to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year). To prepare for this trip, Ms. Huyen took leave from the 23rd of the lunar month, cleaned the house, and prepared gifts for relatives and friends as well as gifts to take back to her hometown for Tet.

After a month of searching for good deals on plane tickets, the family decided to travel back to their hometown by private car. "We expect it will take two days, including travel and rest stops, so I've already booked hotels, chosen places to stay, and prepared basic meals for the children, so the whole family can enjoy a spring trip and visit our hometown at the same time," said Ms. Thanh Huyen.

According to Ms. Huyen's calculations, traveling by plane would cost her family of four nearly 30 million VND. Meanwhile, traveling by private car would only cost one-third of that. Furthermore, she could comfortably visit relatives along the way and explore tourist attractions. Last year, her family's trip to famous destinations along Central Vietnam was a memorable "check-in" for her children.

According to observations, the booming trend this Tet holiday season is bus tours to destinations such as Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Da Lat, Vung Tau, Quy Nhon, etc., departing from Ho Chi Minh City. From Hanoi, popular destinations include Sa Pa, Ha Long, Ha Giang, Ninh Binh, and others.

However, traveling by private vehicle during the peak Tet holiday season also presents some difficulties.

"Traffic checkpoints in areas with high traffic alert are packed with people. If you don't plan ahead, it's very easy to get stuck in traffic," Ms. Huyen shared.

Many families also believe that traveling by private vehicle allows them to bring more luggage and gifts. In addition, not being dependent on airline schedules helps alleviate some of the pressure in travel planning.

This year's Lunar New Year, in addition to the trend of choosing tours and experiences in the three regions of Vietnam (North, Central, and South) or many countries around the world, tourists are also gravitating towards relaxing products with high-end services. These services are chosen by many families to experience a complete Lunar New Year, so tours departing from the 25th day of the 12th lunar month to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd days of the Lunar New Year are in high demand.

Mr. Tran The Dung, General Director of Vietluxtour, said that the trend of combining travel with returning home for Tet (Lunar New Year) has become quite popular in the last 2-3 years. Based on this reality, many travel companies have invested more in domestic tourism services, offering a wide variety of flexible services and extending sales throughout Tet to cater to tourists with sudden Tet travel plans.

Traveling during the Lunar New Year holiday is becoming increasingly popular.

Ms. Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, Deputy General Director of Vietravel, said that with the long holiday period, when designing tourism products, the company also divides them into many product sets ranging from long to short durations. Even the 9-day holiday period is quite special because there are quite a few tour groups that last more than 10 days.

“We develop domestic tour packages lasting from 1 to 7 days, with the 3-5 day packages selling the best. After that come longer tours of 5-7 days and 1-3 days. For outbound tours, the duration is 3-5 days, with longer tours typically targeting luxury markets like Australia, Europe, and the US… These tours are usually booked up quickly,” Ms. Hoang stated.

Mr. Minh Quang, who has worked in Ho Chi Minh City for many years, said that his family usually uses air travel to return to their hometown in Nghe An province every Tet holiday. However, this year, airfares have nearly doubled compared to previous years, forcing his family to reluctantly switch to traveling abroad.

“With the cost of a trip to Thailand for four people roughly the same as going home for Tet, we've arranged for more people in similar situations to book Tet tours abroad. Friends with children to join us, and grandparents on both sides, understand and sympathize with this new way of celebrating Tet. For many families, Tet is still a time for reunion and brings joy, but the cost remains a consideration,” Quang shared.

According to travel agencies, international destinations such as Bangkok, Tokyo, and Singapore are among the most popular choices for Vietnamese tourists with 3-5 day itineraries. Notably, data from the Agoda platform shows that Tokyo recorded a 193% increase in search volume, surpassing Bali to become the most popular destination for this year's Lunar New Year holiday.

Varun Grover, director of Booking.com in Vietnam, said that booking services, airline tickets, and entertainment on the platform have all grown rapidly over the past year, reflecting the trend of independent, individual travel among Vietnamese people.

“In a year considered economically challenging, spending on tourism continues to grow, showing that the habit of independent, flexible travel is becoming increasingly popular among Vietnamese people. For example, during this Lunar New Year, Da Lat continues to be the most searched destination, with 81% of Vietnamese tourists prioritizing destinations with cool climates,” Mr. Varun said.

International tourist influx during Lunar New Year

Foreign tourists in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City – Photo: Q. Dinh

In particular, the Lunar New Year is also a peak season for international tourists. Many visitors want to come to Vietnam during this time to see and experience the traditional Tet atmosphere with the locals throughout the country.

According to Agoda representatives, booking data and services on the platform show a remarkable increase in international tourists visiting Vietnam during the 2025 Lunar New Year holiday. It is estimated that the number of international visitors to Vietnam increased by nearly 300% during the Tet holiday, with Phu Quoc (Kien Giang) becoming the top destination for international tourists.

“The number of accommodation searches from international travelers increased by 139% compared to the same period last year. Notably, the number of visitors from China increased by nearly 300%. The data also recorded significant growth in accommodation searches from travelers from other countries such as South Korea and Taiwan (94% and 123% respectively),” an Agoda representative said.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, visitors to Ho Chi Minh City will have the opportunity to experience city tour packages, combining sightseeing with nighttime tourism in the city, such as the "Old Saigon - New Ho Chi Minh City" tour and the "Saigon Commando" tour. A quick report from travel agencies in the area shows that the number of overseas Vietnamese booking tours at the end of the year continues to increase by about 30-50% compared to the same period last year.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/du-lich-tu-tuc-len-ngoi-mua-tet-20250120224149756.htm