Many passengers choose to buy train tickets for Tet to travel safely.

In order to serve the increased travel needs of people during the Lunar New Year 2026, the railway industry has officially opened train ticket sales from September 20, 2025, 16 days earlier than the Lunar New Year 2025.

People buy train tickets for Tet at Bien Hoa Station, Dong Nai province. Photo: AN NHON

Although train ticket prices for Tet 2026 will increase by about 5-10% compared to Tet 2025 (depending on ticket type, train type, route and travel time during peak season), many passengers still prioritize choosing trains as a means of transportation to return home to reunite with their families.

Number of passengers increased but not overloaded

At Bien Hoa Station (Dong Nai Province), in the first days of selling Tet train tickets, the number of people coming to the station to buy Tet train tickets was larger than usual. However, people came to the station to register to buy tickets sporadically, not in large numbers, so there was no overload like in previous years.

According to reporters from Dong Nai Newspaper, Radio and Television, this year, many passengers tend to choose trains because of safety, low risk, avoiding traffic jams and creating comfort throughout the journey.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (from Thanh Hoa province) shared: "My family works far away, every year we try to visit our hometown once during Tet. My wife and I have 2 small children, so choosing to travel by train is both safe and comfortable for the children, without worrying about traffic jams like traveling by car long distances."

In addition to safety, many passengers also said that trains have now been significantly improved in terms of service, seating and amenities, making the journey home to reunite at the beginning of the year more comfortable. Moreover, trains are not only a means of transportation but also bring experiences during Tet, passengers sitting on the train can enjoy the scenery on both sides of the road, chat with relatives and friends.

Ms. Le Thi Hoa (from Nghe An province) confided: “I have been traveling by train for many years. Although there are many passenger buses now, I still choose to travel by train because it is more secure. On the other hand, the service of the railway industry has many positive improvements, especially the enthusiastic staff who guide people to buy train tickets conveniently and quickly, instead of having to wait a long time like before.”

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Canh, Head of Bien Hoa Railway Transport Business and General Services Center (Bien Hoa Station) said: It is forecasted that in the first days of selling Tet train tickets, there will be a lot of passengers coming to buy tickets directly at the station, so Bien Hoa Station has proactively deployed appropriate plans. Specifically, staff will be on duty at 4 ticket sales doors to serve passengers; 3 staff will be assigned to support, guide, and answer questions. In addition, the unit also arranged security forces to maintain security and order in the area inside and outside the ticket office. Thanks to that, the sale of Tet train tickets has been smooth and convenient, and security and order have always been ensured in the past days.

In 9 days (from September 20 to 29), Bien Hoa Station sold 1,659 train tickets for the Lunar New Year 2026 to passengers in Dong Nai with a revenue of over 3.7 billion VND. Currently, there are still many train tickets for Tet for passengers to choose from in terms of price, route, and travel time.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Canh, Head of Bien Hoa Railway Transport Business and General Services Center.

Many preferential policies

During the 2026 Lunar New Year, the railway industry will operate 55 trains daily with a total of over 800 carriages, providing approximately 330,000 train tickets. The period of application is from February 3 to March 8, 2026 (ie December 16, At Ty year to January 20, Binh Ngo year).

The railway industry will regularly operate 7 pairs of Thong Nhat passenger trains (Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi and vice versa) including: SE1/SE2, SE3/SE4, SE5/SE6, SE7/SE8, SE9/SE10, SE11/SE12, SE23/SE24) and 2 additional train pairs (TN3/4 and TN5/6). The industry will also add more passenger trains from Hanoi to Vinh, Dong Hoi, Da Nang, as well as from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang, Quy Nhon, Da Nang (and vice versa)... In particular, during the Tet holiday from February 16 to February 19, 2026 (ie from December 29, At Ty year to January 3, Binh Ngo year), the railway industry will also operate a number of additional train pairs from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, Tam Ky, Dieu Tri, Nha Trang... to serve spring travel passengers.

Train ticket prices for Tet 2026 will increase slightly compared to Tet 2025. However, during the Tet train travel period, the railway industry still applies many preferential policies for passengers. Specifically, a 5-15% discount will be applied to passengers who buy tickets in advance (from 10 days or more) and have a distance of over 900km; a 3% discount will be applied to passengers who buy tickets for trains departing from Saigon Station on February 15, 2026 (ie December 28) and traveling from 1,000km or more; a 2-12% discount will be applied to passengers who buy group tickets of 11 people or more (depending on the number, time of ticket purchase and schedule, there will be different discounts); a 5% discount on return tickets for passengers who buy round-trip tickets; a 10-20% discount on tickets for students of universities, academies, colleges, professional and vocational high schools.

The railway industry also has regular discount programs for social policy beneficiaries such as: Vietnamese heroic mothers, war invalids, people infected with toxic chemicals, people with severe disabilities, the elderly, children from 6 to under 10 years old...

Adult

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/kinh-te/202510/nhieu-hanh-khach-chon-mua-ve-tau-tet-de-di-lai-an-toan-9c22bc6/