Flight and train tickets to Nghe An are selling out fast for Tet holiday.

Airline tickets are scarce and expensive.

With almost a month left until Lunar New Year, finding airline tickets at this time is not easy; even paying a higher price doesn't guarantee tickets on peak days.

Mr. Ngo Quoc Hung, a native of Hanh Quang commune, Dien Chau district, has been living and working in Ho Chi Minh City for over 20 years. In previous years, due to the impact of the pandemic and his busy work schedule, his family did not return home for Tet (Lunar New Year). This year, with a longer Tet holiday than usual, he wanted to bring his wife and children back to his hometown to celebrate, but all flights are already fully booked.

Mr. Hung said: "According to the schedule, this year, people will have their Tet holiday starting on January 25th, 2025 (the 26th day of the 12th lunar month). Therefore, I plan to finish my last workday on January 24th and then arrange to fly back home. However, after checking the online ticket booking websites of Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air, there are no more direct flights on that date. If I continue to travel by plane, I will have to arrange my work and take 2-3 days off in advance to get a ticket. Otherwise, I will have to travel by other means, which will take much longer. This is very inconvenient because the extra days off would equal the travel time by train or bus to get home."

It's not just Hung's family who are worried; this is also the concern of many people from Nghe An living far from home, especially those living and working in southern provinces like Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Can Tho... Among them, the Ho Chi Minh City - Vinh flight is always the busiest flight currently operating in Nghe An.

According to a survey on Vietnam Airlines' online ticketing website, on January 24th, the last working day, all five direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh Airport were sold out in economy class, with ticket prices exceeding 4 million VND. This price is double the usual rate, even though the flights were during off-peak hours from 0:55 AM to 3:35 AM. Business class tickets were still available, but at around 6 million VND, they were inaccessible to very few people, especially large families.

On January 25th, the first day of the Tet holiday, direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh were completely sold out in all classes. If passengers chose to fly via connecting flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi and then to Vinh, the travel time would be doubled and the ticket price would exceed 11 million VND, a sum very difficult for most people to afford.

For VietJet Air, flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh between January 23rd and 26th are sold out in economy class (priced above 3.5 million VND). To secure a ticket on this route, people must travel before January 23rd or after January 26th. This means people will have to rearrange their schedules to return home earlier than the Tet holiday or on the last two days of the year, January 27th and 28th (the 28th and 29th of the Lunar New Year).

Mr. Nghiem Manh Tuan, Director of Vinh International Airport, said: Currently, Vinh Airport handles an average of about 50 flights taking off and landing each day, but during the Lunar New Year holiday, this number usually doubles due to the highest demand of the year. In response to this sudden surge in passengers, the airport has also made plans to ensure flight safety, security, and order for people returning home for Tet.

It is known that the country has 22 civil airports serving the travel needs of passengers, including 12 international airports and 10 domestic airports. Vinh International Airport currently operates 5 direct flights to and from Vinh: Vinh - Hanoi, Vinh - Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh - Da Lat, Vinh - Buon Ma Thuot, and Vinh - Can Tho. Besides these 5 routes, passengers wishing to travel to other provinces and cities by air will have to take connecting flights.

Take initiative with transportation.

Train tickets to Nghe An during the Lunar New Year holiday have also been fully booked. According to the Vietnam Railways ticket sales website, on January 25th, the first day of the Tet holiday, there were 11 trains from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh serving people returning home for Tet, including: SE8, SE12, SE16, SE6, TN4, SE10, TN6, SE4, SE24, SE14, and SE2. All 11 trains were fully booked in all carriages, regardless of whether they were air-conditioned soft seats or air-conditioned sleeper berths.

If people want tickets for this trip, they must book them from January 21st (4 days before the holiday). According to a survey, the price of a ticket on train SE14 from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh was 2.1 million VND on January 21st for a soft-seat, air-conditioned ticket (the regular price is 1.4 million VND). Other routes such as Vinh - Da Nang, Vinh - Hue, Vinh - Nha Trang, Vinh - Dieu Tri… also recorded a high increase in ticket bookings. Trains are a popular choice for many people due to their safety and lower ticket prices compared to other means of transport; however, the travel time is longer.

For road passenger transport, bus companies are now starting to sell Tet holiday tickets for those who need to book early. People can buy tickets directly at the ticket counter or contact the bus company via phone or website for information. At Bac Vinh Bus Station - the largest bus station in the province - approximately 200 vehicles registered to operate passenger transport services within and outside the province are also ready to serve people during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Due to high ticket prices and shortages during the Tet holiday, many people are now proactively arranging their own transportation to return to their hometowns, especially now that the North-South expressway section through Nghe An has opened. This shortens travel time from other provinces and cities to Nghe An, helping people save time and money and proactively plan their schedules.