New Year's Day is heating up.

Tomorrow marks the official start of the first holiday of the new year 2026, and many tourist destinations are already fully booked. However, for many other destinations, airfare and hotel rooms are still abundant and not yet in a state of crisis.

A place eagerly awaiting guests, a place where rooms are fully booked.

This year's New Year's holiday lasted four days, enough time to design a travel program and experiences for many people and families. However, in reality, domestic tourism was not as vibrant as expected.

International tourists stroll around and explore the urban life of Ho Chi Minh City.

Photo: Nhat Thinh

Despite being one of the three most anticipated "hot" destinations for this year's New Year holiday, many hotels in Da Lat are still anxiously awaiting guests. According to a survey by Thanh Nien newspaper on the afternoon of December 30th, most accommodations still have many vacant rooms and have not increased prices, especially in the budget segment.

Ms. Dang Thu Hang, owner of Dong Phu Hotel (near Xuan Huong Lake, about 200 meters from Da Lat Market), said that rooms are not yet fully booked, and the hotel still has quite a few vacant rooms. "However, in recent days, the number of guests has started to increase again, mainly with last-minute bookings. Hopefully, in the next few days, more families will choose to travel and book rooms," Ms. Hang shared.

Similarly, Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Hanh, owner of Roise Hotel (Lam Vien Ward), said that the number of rooms was "almost completely empty," even though the hotel had only been operating for 3 years and the facilities were still very new. Due to the low number of guests, room prices remained stable as usual, without any increase. Nang Villa & Coffee recorded quite good bookings on January 2nd, with rooms fully booked since the previous week, and did not increase prices during the holiday, maintaining a range of 500,000 - 800,000 VND/night to attract customers.

Some hotels in central Da Lat have a wider customer base, so the situation is promising. For example, the 4-star Colline Dalat Hotel (10 Phan Boi Chau Street), located near Da Lat Market, is almost fully booked, with only a few rooms available sporadically and not on consecutive days. The first 4th quarters were fully booked more than a week ago. Rooms with views of the square or Xuan Huong Lake are in high demand due to the fireworks display.

In Nha Trang, the trend of hotel bookings is gradually increasing, but the number of rooms is still quite abundant. A representative from InterContinental Nha Trang stated that on December 31st, the occupancy rate was over 90%, while on January 2nd-4th it was around 70%. "Nha Trang rarely experiences a 'fully booked' situation due to the abundant supply, from serviced apartments to 5-star hotels. However, if you book too close to the date, price increases are unavoidable," the hotel representative said.

While domestic tourist "hotspots" remain relatively quiet, international tourist hubs are incredibly vibrant. Mr. My Tran (35 years old, residing in Khanh Hoi Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said that due to a sudden change in his New Year's holiday plans, he only started looking for a hotel in Hanoi's Old Quarter for his group of four on the afternoon of December 30th. However, finding a room proved more difficult than expected.

"Every hotel I called said they were fully booked. Small and medium-sized hotels, which normally cost around 700,000 - 900,000 VND per night, have doubled their prices during this period and still have no rooms available," shared Mr. My Tran.

According to surveys, many hotels in Hanoi's Old Quarter have reported being fully booked during the peak period from December 31st to January 2nd. The owner of the 22land Hotel (71 Hang Bong Street) confirmed that all rooms were fully booked during the peak days. Representatives from several accommodation establishments stated that the availability of rooms in the Old Quarter only began to improve from January 3rd, but this was already near the end of the holiday period, and many tourists were no longer keen on booking rooms.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the Caravelle Saigon Hotel was fully booked for the New Year's holiday more than a month in advance, especially during the period from December 31st to January 2nd. Domestic guests accounted for approximately 40%, while international guests made up 60%. Rooms with views of the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House and fireworks displays, especially those on higher floors (19th-20th), were completely booked well in advance. A representative from the Majestic Saigon Hotel, with its direct view of the Saigon River and fireworks display from the Saigon Marina IFC building, also stated that 100% of rooms with fireworks views were booked from January 1st to 3rd and are currently unable to accept any more bookings.

Phu Quoc Island, dubbed the "Pearl Island," a popular destination for international tourists celebrating the New Year, also recorded very high occupancy rates. Hotels and resorts such as La Festa Phu Quoc - Curio Collection by Hilton, Premier Residences Phu Quoc, JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay, and New World Phu Quoc all achieved occupancy rates close to 100%.

In Da Nang, particularly on Ba Na Hill, the Mercure French Village Ba Na Hills Da Nang hotel recorded an occupancy rate of over 90% throughout the holiday period. Other upscale hotels in the city center of Da Nang, such as Novotel Danang, also achieved occupancy rates above 90%.

There are still plenty of airline tickets available.

This is a notable point during this year's major holiday season. Despite numerous accommodations and entertainment venues in Phu Quoc being fully booked, airfares from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc on January 1st, 2026, have cooled down compared to a few days prior. With Vietravel Airlines, passengers only spend just over 1 million VND/one-way; Sun Phuquoc Airways fares are slightly higher – over 1.2 million VND/one-way; Vietjet still has many flights priced at over 1.5 million VND/one-way. Vietnam Airlines has some flights with business class tickets at just over 4.4 million VND/one-way, economy class at nearly 2.8 million VND/one-way, but there are still quite a few other flights available for only 1.3-2 million VND/one-way. The significant drop in airfare from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc during the New Year holiday has surprised many families, as they had paid much higher prices just a week earlier. Similarly, travelers from Hanoi planning to visit Phu Quoc Island during the New Year holiday still have many opportunities to buy plane tickets for 1.6 - 1.9 million VND/one-way if flying on January 2, 2026. This is about 20-30% cheaper than during peak holiday periods in the past year.

Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City have been bustling with foreign tourists since December 30th.

Photo: Le Nam

From Ho Chi Minh City, families wishing to take a holiday in Nha Trang can also purchase Vietnam Airlines tickets for around 1.2 - 1.5 million VND/one-way. For the Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang route, while airfares have increased compared to normal days, they are slightly lower during peak holiday periods, and many flights are still available.

On January 1st, 2026, Vietnam Airlines tickets from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang were available for as low as 1.3 million VND/one-way. Vietjet tickets also fluctuated around 1.3 million VND/one-way. Of course, there were still some convenient midday flights with Vietnam Airlines priced over 2.5 million VND/one-way, similar to peak Tet (Lunar New Year) season. However, overall, there were still quite a few affordable seats for passengers to choose from.

The main route between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi during the 2026 New Year holiday still has many empty seats with ticket prices under 1.5 million VND/one-way offered by Vietravel Airlines and Bamboo Airways. Sun Phuquoc Airways, Vietjet, and Vietnam Airlines have higher prices, ranging from 1.5 to over 2 million VND/one-way depending on the flight.

A representative from an airline stated: "Overall, flights on major routes serving the 2026 New Year's holiday are currently over 80% full. However, as of today, ticket sales haven't changed much. This is partly due to the unexpected announcement of the four-day holiday, leaving many families with little time to adjust their plans. Additionally, the New Year's holiday is quite close to the Lunar New Year, so domestic travel demand won't be very high. Furthermore, almost every province and city is celebrating the New Year with grand events, so families will choose to stay in their local areas to celebrate the holiday."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tet-duong-lich-dang-nong-dan-185251230220142676.htm