Flight tickets for Tet 2026 to Nghe An are scarce, prices are high

In the months leading up to Lunar New Year 2026, the air ticket market is becoming even hotter as prices increase and many flights are sold out, especially on routes from Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces to Nghe An. Meanwhile, Vinh airport is rushing to complete upgrades to reopen in December 2025 to serve the peak travel demand at the end of the year.

People anxiously looking for tickets

At this time, in many provinces and cities, especially in the South, Nghe An people living or working far away are rushing to hunt for plane tickets to return home for Tet. The journey home, which is already difficult, is even more stressful when ticket prices are double compared to normal days, and economy tickets are increasingly scarce.

Vinh Airport always has a high number of passengers at the end of the year. Photo: Quang An

Mr. Phan Van Tai, from Minh Chau commune, currently living and working in Ho Chi Minh City, shared that for the past week he has been "restless" because of the matter of hunting for plane tickets to return home to celebrate Tet for his whole family.

“Last summer, I planned to take my wife and children to visit my grandparents, but Vinh airport was temporarily closed for upgrading, so I had to postpone it. The whole family agreed to save the trip to my hometown for Tet. As soon as I heard that the airport would reopen at the end of the year, I rushed to find tickets early in the hope of getting a good price. But in reality, the prices were both expensive and extremely rare,” said Mr. Tai.

Vietnam Airlines flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Nghe An on February 11 (December 24) are sold out. Photo: QA

According to Mr. Tai, February 11, 2026 (December 24) is expected to be the most suitable time for the whole family of 5 to return to their hometown. However, when checking the airline's ticketing systems, all economy class tickets for that day were sold out, leaving only business class tickets at a price of approximately 6 million VND/ticket. "If the whole family goes, the total cost is more than 20 million VND, which is too high compared to our income. My family is still having to discuss whether to change the date to an earlier date or switch to another means of transport," he added.

People check in at Vinh airport. Photo: Quang An

Not only Mr. Tai’s family, tens of thousands of Nghe An people living in the southern provinces… share the same sentiment. Currently, the Ho Chi Minh City - Vinh route is always in a state of “sold out” the earliest, because this is the flight with the highest number of passengers among the flights to Nghe An.

According to the reporter's investigation, the number of searches and bookings for Tet tickets has increased sharply on the online ticket sales sites of Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways as well as at reputable travel agencies. In particular, the routes Vinh - Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh - Da Lat, Vinh - Buon Ma Thuot, Vinh - Can Tho... all recorded sudden purchasing power.

A survey on Vietnam Airlines' ticketing system shows that on February 11, 2026 (December 24), there are 3 direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh, but all of them are sold out of economy class tickets, only business class tickets cost over 6 million VND/way. Meanwhile, 6 connecting flights to Hanoi and then back to Vinh still have economy class tickets, but the prices are all over 5 million VND, the travel time is from 5-9 hours instead of nearly 2 hours of direct flight.

Similarly, for Vietjet Air, on February 11, 2026, the airline has 9 direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh, but many flights have sold out of economy tickets. Ticket prices are currently hovering around 3 million VND, double the normal price.

Passengers check in at Vinh airport. Photo: Quang An

Currently, airlines such as Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, and Bamboo Airways have developed plans to increase flights on key routes, especially Ho Chi Minh City - Vinh, Hanoi - Vinh, and flights from the Central Highlands and the West to Nghe An to serve the number of passengers during the peak season before and after Tet.

Authorities recommend that passengers do not buy tickets through unofficial sources to avoid the risk of fraud; they should proactively arrange to return home 3-5 days earlier than the peak season or consider road transport if they cannot find suitable tickets.

Ready to reopen Vinh airport in December 2025

In the context of the sharp increase in travel demand during the end of the year and Lunar New Year, the fact that Vinh airport is preparing to complete upgrading the runway, terminal and auxiliary items is of increasing public interest.

Previously, Vinh airport temporarily stopped operations from July 1, 2025 to implement a project to upgrade runways, taxiways, expand parking lots and improve terminal infrastructure. The goal is to bring the airport back into operation by the end of 2025, right at the time when travel demand is increasing sharply.

Vinh Airport is the largest airport in the North Central region and one of the important airports in the country. Photo: PV

Currently, all contractors participating in the project are mobilizing maximum human resources, machinery and specialized equipment to race against time to ensure completion on schedule. According to the representative of the Project Management Board, this is one of the projects with the largest construction volume at Vinh International Airport to date, with a series of important items. Meanwhile, the total construction time is only about 180 days, requiring all units to maximize human resources and technical measures to ensure progress.

To meet the deadline, the contractors have organized continuous construction in "3 shifts, 4 teams", working both day and night, taking advantage of every hour when the weather is favorable. However, the construction progress still faces many obstacles due to the complicated weather in the Central region in recent times. Particularly, storms No. 5 and No. 10 recently also affected the construction progress. However, the units have affirmed their determination to ensure technical quality while striving to complete the project on schedule to promptly serve the increased travel demand at the end of the year and during the Lunar New Year.

Items at Vinh airport are gradually being completed, striving to resume operations in December 2025. Photo: Quang An

Mr. Nghiem Manh Tuan - Director of Vinh International Airport said: Currently, the entire construction force is highly focused, organizing overtime to speed up the progress of the items. Currently, the terminal, runway, landing and many auxiliary works have been basically completed. The airport aims to hand over and put into operation on schedule in December 2025, ensuring safe and smooth passenger service as soon as it reopens.

The early resumption of Vinh airport is not only the wish of Nghe An people but also contributes to reducing pressure on airlines, increasing the supply of Tet tickets and ensuring smooth traffic connections during the year-end travel peak.

Vinh airport currently has a designed capacity of 2.75 million passengers/year, with 21-26 flights per day. According to the plan, by 2030, the airport will increase its capacity to 8 million passengers/year, and reach 14 million passengers/year by 2050.

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Source: https://baonghean.vn/ve-may-bay-tet-2026-ve-nghe-an-khan-hiem-gia-tang-cao-10313493.html