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Road and railway routes are being chosen by many tourists to reduce costs and have unique experiences for their trips. (Source: Tung Phuong) |
Cost savings, diverse choices
In recent years, airfares on domestic routes have been on the rise. Especially during peak tourist seasons such as Lunar New Year, summer, and holidays, airfares to provinces and cities are three or four times higher than normal. On some famous travel websites and apps, airfares to destinations such as Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa province), Con Dao (Ba Ria - Vung Tau province),... in June - the peak summer tourist season are priced from 3 million to 5 million VND/way, so a pair of round-trip tickets will cost from 6 to 10 million VND.
Not only are airfares to major tourist destinations expensive, but tourists also have a “headache” when choosing airlines. For example, some low-cost airlines often delay flights or change flights unexpectedly. Customers even have to wait several days or hours to get a “compensation” for their flight. On the contrary, for reputable airlines, airfares are relatively high compared to the average income of Vietnamese people. Cheap airfares only fall during “bad” flight times such as midnight, early morning, and late at night.
Therefore, many tourists have switched to choosing other means of transport such as buses, private cars, and trains to ensure a fun and perfect experience for the trip. Road and rail transport in Vietnam has the advantage of many time frames, routes, and segments for customers. According to the reporter of the Vietnam Law Newspaper, on reputable train and bus ticket sales websites, the round-trip ticket price (two-way departure and return) for a trip from Hanoi to Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City,... ranges from 2 million to 4 million VND depending on the segment that customers choose.
Sharing with the media, Viet Travel Company said that in 2024, the demand for train travel increased compared to the same period last year. Many young families, officials, and civil servants choose trains to renew their experiences and save costs for their travel.
Upgrading railways and roads to enhance tourist experience
In fact, the road and railway transport system is contributing to tourism growth, becoming a unique product in many provinces and localities in Vietnam. According to statistics, in the period of 2022 - 2024, the number of passengers traveling by train from Hanoi to Hai Phong increased steadily by an average of 10% per year, reaching more than 1.5 million passengers. In 2024 alone, more than 1.5 million passengers came to Hai Phong City by rail, an increase compared to 1.4 million passengers in 2023. Hai Phong City has plans to build and develop the railway into a unique tourism product.
In the North, expressways connecting Hanoi with the Northwest, Northeast, and North Central regions have been put into operation, creating favorable conditions for tourism development. Travel time from Hanoi to famous destinations in the North such as Sa Pa (Lao Cai), Hai Phong, Ha Long (Quang Ninh), Mong Cai (Quang Ninh), Ninh Binh, and Nghe An have all been shortened to only half of the previous travel time. With the Mong Cai - Quang Ninh route, the province not only attracts domestic tourists, but also attracts foreign tourists traveling by road.
Although, at present, railway and road services in Vietnam are relatively good, however, there are still certain limitations. For example, the travel time for long routes across the North - South takes about 12 hours or more. In some provinces and localities that are on the path of tourism development, there are still no expressways passing through. This is an issue that makes many tourists hesitate to choose domestic tours.
At the 9th Session of the 15th National Assembly, the Government proposed to allow the application of 9 special mechanisms and policies for the Quy Nhon - Pleiku expressway; preliminarily adjusting the total investment of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway project (phase 1) to increase from VND 17,837 billion to VND 21,551 billion. The Quy Nhon - Pleiku expressway project is proposed to be invested with a total length of about 125km, passing through the territory of 2 provinces of Binh Dinh (about 40km) and Gia Lai (about 85km). The scale of the route includes 4 lanes, with a continuous emergency lane, a roadbed width of 24.75m, and a design speed of 100km/h.
In particular, the National Assembly has just approved many unprecedented large projects in the history of the railway industry, such as the North-South high-speed railway project. This is a "super project" with a total investment of up to 67 billion USD; the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project is worth more than 8.3 billion USD. According to the North-South high-speed railway project, the route will be newly built with double track, 1,435mm gauge, design speed of 350km/h, maximum operating speed of 320km/h for long-distance trains, maximum speed of 250 - 280km/h for short-distance trains.
Source: https://baophapluat.vn/phat-trien-he-thong-giao-thong-thuc-day-du-lich-noi-dia-post549132.html
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