Tourism industry “won big” on April 30 holiday with 50 years of pride

The joy of tourists during the days when the whole country is looking forward to the Great Festival. (Photo: CTV/Vietnam+)

With the spirit of “Proud of 50 years - Radiant city named after Uncle Ho,” Ho Chi Minh City has truly made a strong impression during the recent April 30-May 1 holiday, creating a spread of national pride among the Vietnamese people, while also bringing visitors impressive experiences during the country's great festival.

Thanks to that, the City named after Uncle Ho welcomed 1.95 million visitors, revenue doubled last year, and for the first time, room occupancy reached 95%.

Notably, according to data from the National Tourism Administration, during the 5-day holiday on April 30 this year, the entire industry also marked a milestone in the number of tourists since the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 10.5 million visitors (an increase of more than 31% over the same period in 2024).

"Locomotive" Ho Chi Minh City

According to information from the National Tourism Administration, most of the key tourist destinations across the country recorded positive signals with the number of visitors increasing by 50-100% compared to the same period in 2024. In addition to Ho Chi Minh City attracting nearly 2 million visitors, other provinces and cities also welcomed a high number of visitors of over one million, such as Thanh Hoa (1.6 million), Quang Ninh (over 1.1 million), Khanh Hoa (over 1 million).

In particular, in terms of tourism revenue, Ho Chi Minh City still leads the country during the holiday with a revenue of more than 7,100 billion VND, Thanh Hoa ranked second with a revenue of nearly 4,200 billion VND (during the April 30-May 1 holiday last year, Thanh Hoa was the locality with the highest tourism revenue in the country, with more than 3,800 billion VND; Ho Chi Minh City ranked second with more than 3,200 billion VND; Hanoi ranked third with 2,500 billion VND).

International tourists are presented with national flags at Ho Chi Minh City Book Street. (Photo: Contributor/Vietnam+)

Although Kien Giang was not on the list of provinces and cities that welcomed the most visitors (300,000 arrivals) during the recent holiday, it was still recognized as a bright spot with revenue among the highest, with nearly 1,000 billion VND.

In the North, tourists tend to flock to Sa Pa (Lao Cai), Ha Long (Quang Ninh), Cat Ba (Hai Phong), Sam Son (Thanh Hoa), Cua Lo (Nghe An). In the Central region, there are Ba Na (Da Nang), Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh), Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), Mui Ne (Binh Thuan), Mang Den (Kon Tum), Da Lat (Lam Dong). In the South, the "hot spots" attracting tourists are Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Phu Quoc (Kien Giang).

Regarding the average room occupancy rate at tourist accommodation establishments nationwide, according to the Department of Tourism, this figure reached about 70%. In particular, on April 30 and May 1, room occupancy reached over 80%; many coastal destinations and Ho Chi Minh City achieved room occupancy rates of up to 90-95%.

To meet the travel demand during the holiday, Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet have increased the number of flights by about 20% from 11pm to 5am, contributing to supplementing and increasing the supply capacity. As a result, Vietnam Airlines provided more than 610,000 seats, equivalent to more than 3,200 domestic flights; Vietjet provided nearly 620,000 seats, equivalent to nearly 500 domestic flights; increases of 35% and 29% respectively compared to the same period last year.

Young tourists visit the Independence Palace, Ho Chi Minh City during a meaningful vacation. (Photo: CTV/Vietnam+)

No unfortunate incidents

Industry leaders assessed that the 5-day holiday with many programs, events, activities, and festivals organized simultaneously by localities and businesses has resulted in most destinations welcoming more visitors, longer stays, and higher revenue compared to the same period in 2024. Although the peak season for foreign visitors has passed, the number of international visitors still has good growth momentum. Room rates and tourism services have not fluctuated much.

It can be said that the growth in the number of visitors, safe tourism activities, and quality assurance during the holiday are the combined results of many factors: The long holiday has created opportunities for people to plan their travel; the event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country has created a strong attraction, especially at destinations in the South; Improved transport infrastructure has helped tourists travel more easily.

Thanks to localities and businesses constantly innovating products and improving the quality of tourism services to meet the diverse needs of tourists, along with management work that localities have focused on early, it has contributed to improving the tourist experience...

In particular, the April 30-May 1 holiday this year has ensured security, safety of tourism activities, food hygiene and safety, and no unfortunate accidents or incidents have occurred. As of the time of the report on the afternoon of May 4 compiled by the Department of Tourism, no serious incidents involving tourists have been recorded nationwide.

Tens of thousands of people flocked to the center of Ho Chi Minh City to attend the celebration, parade, and march to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification. (Photo: VNA)

However, according to the leader of the National Tourism Administration, holiday tourism still has some problems such as local congestion at tourist "hot spots" and on national highways leading to major cities at the beginning and end of the holiday.

Service quality at some coastal destinations has not really met tourists’ expectations due to overload and lack of quality human resources. Some tourist accommodation establishments have canceled rooms booked by guests through hotel booking platforms; suddenly raising room rates during peak seasons has left a bad impression…/.

During the holiday, the Railway industry has added more trains from Hanoi to Da Nang, Dong Hoi, Hai Phong, Lao Cai and vice versa from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Quy Nhon.

During the holiday, Vietnam Railways Corporation also organized a pair of trains named "Reunification Train" with the desire to spread national pride, solidarity, creativity and innovation of the country and Vietnamese businesses.

Inland ports have increased the number of trips to Cu Lao Cham, Ly Son, Con Dao, Phu Quy, and Phu Quoc islands to serve tourists and residents. Especially during the holiday, Quang Ninh welcomed the first group of nearly 1,700 Japanese tourists to Ha Long by super yacht.

Source: https://ttbc-hcm.gov.vn/nganh-du-lich-dai-thang-o-ky-nghi-le-30-4-voi-niem-tu-hao-50-nam-1018602.html