Vinh Airport has just been scheduled to reopen from December 19 to serve the travel needs during Tet, but this seems not to be enough to cool down the thirst for tickets. Flight tickets to Vinh, Thanh Hoa were quickly booked by passengers.
Flight route Ho Chi Minh City - Vinh: ticket prices are difficult to access
A survey on the systems of the two main operators, Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet, shows that the number of tickets from December 25 to the 5th day of Tet (February 12 to 25, 2026) on the Ho Chi Minh City - Vinh route is rapidly depleting.
Vietjet announced that all tickets were sold out from February 12-15, with only a few late flights remaining with popular fares ranging from 3.5 - 4 million VND/way, pushing round-trip tickets up to about 7 - 8 million VND/person.
Many morning flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh are sold out from February 12 to 15, or from December 25 to 28.
Vietnam Airlines, which operates 10 flights a day, is in a similar situation. Morning tickets are almost gone, and afternoon tickets are very few, with sky-high prices ranging from 5.2 to 6 million VND/way. Even more "accessible" prices, around 3.7 million VND, have almost disappeared from the system.
The shortage has also spread to many other routes. Bamboo Airways has announced that many routes such as Ho Chi Minh City - Thanh Hoa and Ho Chi Minh City - Vinh are sold out between February 11 and 14. On the Ho Chi Minh City - Quy Nhon route, Vietjet also has no tickets left on some peak days due to low flight frequency.
Bamboo Airways announced that it has sold out many flights to Thanh Hoa and Vinh during peak days of Lunar New Year 2026.
Round trip and business class fares
Many passengers shared that they were somewhat "shocked" when checking ticket prices or when realizing that tickets were sold out on many peak days.
A survey on February 14 (December 27) on the Vietnam Airlines website showed that passengers only have the option of connecting flights to Hanoi with 6 flights/day. Economy class tickets cost 5.5 - 7.1 million VND; there are still seats available in business class but the price of 13 million VND makes it difficult for many people to access.
Even on December 24 (February 11), all direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh were sold out. If passengers accepted to take connecting flights, they would have to take a round trip, prolonging their travel time and paying a high fare.
As for Vietjet, from December 14, all economy class tickets for flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh have been sold out. From December 24 to 27, the airline has no more seats in all classes.
The only option is to return home earlier than the official Tet holiday schedule or land at nearby airports such as Dong Hoi and Tho Xuan and then travel by road to Nghe An.
Supply cannot meet pent-up demand
A representative of Vietnam Airlines said that the number of bookings for Tet 2026 has increased significantly, reflecting the trend of passengers proactively planning early. Vietnam Airlines Group has opened for sale more than 3.5 million seats, up 20% compared to last year, and Vietjet also launched 2.5 million tickets.
However, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) admitted that although the reopening of Vinh airport from December 19 was expected to reduce pressure, the sudden increase in demand meant that the reopening would only help reduce difficulties but could not fully meet the number of passengers.
The groups of routes with the highest demand are still concentrated on traditional routes: Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang, and routes to Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Hai Phong, Hue, Quy Nhon, Cam Ranh, Phu Quoc. Meanwhile, the appearance of new airlines such as Sun PhuQuoc Airways and Vietravel Airlines with limited fleets has not created many more choices in terms of frequency and price during the peak season.
With demand rising so strongly that supply has not been able to increase accordingly, the shortage of tickets and high prices are likely to continue. Airlines have had to advise passengers to be flexible with their travel time, buy tickets early and consider connecting flights or landing at nearby airports to increase their chances of getting a seat home for Tet.
Source: https://vtv.vn/ve-may-bay-tet-2026-nhieu-chang-bay-ve-mien-trung-da-het-cho-cao-diem-100251126110353758.htm
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