Bus ticket sales are sluggish during the New Year holiday.

With the 2026 New Year approaching, observations at several bus companies and transportation businesses in Da Nang indicate a rather sluggish bus ticket market, with many intercity routes still experiencing a lack of advance bookings and ticket purchases.

Ticket counter area at Da Nang Central Bus Station. Photo: VD

At Da Nang Central Bus Station, the ticket sales area is not crowded. The ticket counters mainly serve passengers buying single-trip tickets for same-day travel, while tickets for the 2026 New Year's holiday show almost no signs of being in high demand. Many bus companies say that the number of customers inquiring about purchasing tickets in advance is quite sparse, with demand mainly focused on tickets for the 2026 Lunar New Year (Year of the Horse).

A ticket agent for Khanh Truyen bus company, which operates the Da Nang - Ha Tinh route, said: "Very few customers are booking tickets for the New Year's holiday. At this point, the booking rate is still low, not as high as in previous years. Most passengers are only inquiring about tickets for the Lunar New Year."

Not only long-distance routes to the North, but many bus routes to provinces in Central and Southern Vietnam are in a similar situation. An employee of Son Tung bus company, which operates the Da Nang - Quy Nhon route, said that this year the company will not be increasing ticket prices. Currently, the company has not yet started selling tickets for the Lunar New Year, and the number of customers inquiring about tickets for the Gregorian New Year is very low, with no significant price changes yet.

Notably, several major transport companies have also proactively announced that they will not increase ticket prices during the New Year holiday. Phuong Trang bus company, operating routes between Da Nang and Dak Lak, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, etc., has posted information confirming that bus tickets for the 2026 New Year holiday will not increase in price, aiming to reassure passengers.

Bus ticket prices for the 2026 New Year holiday will not increase, but the number of customers booking tickets is very low. Photo: VD

Regarding travel plans for the New Year holiday, Ngo Phuong Ly, a student at Da Nang University of Education from Dak Lak province, shared: "Last October, my hometown was affected by flooding, and my family faced difficulties, so I plan to wait until the Lunar New Year (Year of the Horse) to return home to save on expenses."

According to Mr. Nguyen Huu Khanh, residing in Lien Chieu ward, one of the main reasons for the decrease in travel demand during this period is that the New Year's Day holiday in 2026 will only last one day, falling on Thursday (January 1, 2026).

Since people still have to go to work the next day, returning to their hometown or going on vacation would be quite rushed. Besides the holiday schedule, the prolonged heavy rains and floods in many localities across the country have also significantly impacted people's travel needs.

Mr. Pham Loi, General Director of Da Nang Bus Station Management and Transportation Joint Stock Company, said that compared to the same period last year, the number of passengers booking tickets for the New Year holiday this year has decreased significantly and shows no signs of a sudden increase. The peak travel period will mainly be concentrated during the Lunar New Year (Year of the Horse). Currently, the company is implementing a plan to serve the Lunar New Year, and is coordinating with transportation units to proactively prepare vehicles and personnel to meet the travel needs of people at the end of the year.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/ve-xe-tram-lang-dip-tet-duong-lich-3316425.html