Flight tickets to Hanoi

Duong Dong night market. Photo: Ngoc Thanh — Duong Dong Night Market (Phu Quoc)

On the morning of April 19th, the lowest price for a round-trip Hanoi - Phu Quoc flight between April 27th and 30th was 5.7 million VND, with inconvenient flight times (departing at 4:40 PM, returning at 7:45 AM). On April 27th, only one direct flight from Hanoi to Phu Quoc was available at 3.3 million VND, while the remaining three direct flights were all priced above 4 million VND. The best round-trip flight for the period of April 27th-30th cost approximately 7.6 million VND (departing at 10:15 AM, returning at 9:10 AM). Prices for April 27th-30th were double those of a week earlier – 3.4 million VND.

On April 30th, there were 4 direct flights from Phu Quoc to Hanoi, but there were no more direct flights on May 1st. Normally, there are about 6 direct flights per day on the Phu Quoc to Hanoi route.

There are no longer any direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc on April 27th. On April 28th, there are 5 flights available, priced from 1.5 to 1.9 million VND. Return flights on April 30th and May 1st both have two direct flights available, priced at approximately 1.8 million VND. On a normal day, there are about 13 direct flights from Phu Quoc to Ho Chi Minh City.

On average, a round-trip ticket for this route on April 27-30 or May 1 costs around 3.7 million VND. If traveling during the period immediately before the holiday (April 24-27), tourists pay around 1.7 million VND.

A month ago, a survey by reporters showed that the lowest round-trip airfare for the Hanoi - Phu Quoc route between April 27th and 30th was around 5 million VND. On regular days, round-trip airfare from Hanoi to Phu Quoc ranges from 2.8-4 million VND, and from Ho Chi Minh City around 2.5 million VND.

According to data from Mustgo, a booking platform with over 2,000 hotel partners nationwide, occupancy rates in Phu Quoc during the April 30th holiday ranged from only 25-45%, mostly foreign tourists, with fewer domestic visitors due to the impact of airfares. According to a representative from Mustgo, resorts and hotels in Phu Quoc are primarily 4-5 star establishments with a large number of rooms, mostly 300-700 rooms, and some even exceeding 1,000 rooms. Therefore, filling all rooms in Phu Quoc, even during a holiday, is difficult.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Dat, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi Tourism Club, commented that the scarcity of tickets, or even sold-out tickets on some days, for routes between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc stems from the increased demand during holidays, coupled with a shortage of aircraft for the airlines.

The "uneven" pattern (busy days, slow days) has led airlines to either not add more flights on certain days or not add more flights at all. For example, on May 1st, most passengers from Phu Quoc returned to the two major cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but few flew from these two cities to Phu Quoc, making the flights inefficient. According to Mr. Dat, when visiting Phu Quoc at the end of last year, the number of domestic tourists was "very low" compared to international tourists.

Previously, data from Agoda indicated that domestic travelers tended to start their April 30th holiday trips from April 26th, with April 27th being the most frequently booked date. A representative from Vietnam Travel Company also shared that after the proposal for a 5-day holiday was approved, the period from April 27th to 30th or April 28th to May 1st could be considered the "hottest" period of the holiday.

Meanwhile, some travel agencies in Da Lat are also complaining that the soaring airfare prices will cause them to lose a large number of tourists from the North during the April 30th holiday. As of April 19th, many hotels, even those in prime locations in the city center, still have vacant rooms.

Round-trip airfare from Hanoi to Da Lat between April 27th and 30th starts at around 4 million VND, with most convenient flight times unavailable. This is the general price for this route in late April. From April 30th onwards, airfare returns to normal levels, around 2.8 million VND for a round trip.

Meanwhile, airfares from Hanoi to Nha Trang between April 27th and 30th are around 4.3 million VND, an increase of about one million VND compared to the period just before the holiday. From Ho Chi Minh City, the lowest round-trip fare is around 2.7 million VND – considered high according to Google data. Despite this, Nha Trang has a better occupancy rate than Phu Quoc due to its advantageous road connections to Ho Chi Minh City and the Central Highlands.

For the Hanoi to Da Nang route between April 27th and 30th, there are still many options for travelers, with the lowest price around 4 million VND round trip, and flights with convenient times costing over 6.5 million VND - the average price for this route on weekdays is around 2.5-3.5 million VND. For the Ho Chi Minh City route during the same period, the lowest price is 3.4 million VND, and flights with convenient times cost over 4 million VND - about one million VND higher than the average.

Despite high airfares, Da Nang remains a top destination for tourists, according to Mustgo. Representatives from many travel companies also confirm that the city is always a popular choice for tourists during holidays. Da Nang's advantages include convenient connections to central provinces such as Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue; and short flight distances from the two major cities of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

According to many travel agencies, high airfare prices are affecting domestic travel decisions during the holiday season. Tourists are opting for overseas trips, such as tours to Southeast Asia or China by land. In addition, the trend of traveling nearby by private vehicle to save costs remains strong.

HQ (according to VnExpress)

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