During the pre-Tet period, especially from the 23rd to the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, travel demand is concentrated on routes from Ho Chi Minh City to central and northern Vietnam. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam reported booking rates exceeding 90% on numerous routes, with some flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Hue, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Pleiku, Tuy Hoa, Quy Nhon, Chu Lai, and Dong Hoi fully booked.

For the main Ho Chi Minh City - Ha Noi route, many flights still have available seats, with demand only peaking on certain days immediately before and after Tet. Specifically, the Ho Chi Minh City - Ha Noi segment on the 25th and 26th of the twelfth lunar month has booking rates of 85-88%, while the return Ha Noi - Ho Chi Minh City segment on the 5th and 6th day of Tet ranges from 80-96%.

Conversely, passenger traffic from northern to southern localities heading to Ho Chi Minh City before Tet is very low. Specifically, booking rates on routes from Ha Noi to Buon Ma Thuot, Pleiku, Tuy Hoa, Quy Nhon, and Can Tho only reach 30-60%, with the exception of the Ha Noi - Dong Hoi route, which sees 88-100% bookings on the peak days of the 25th, 26th, and 27th of the twelfth lunar month. Some airlines have even operated empty flights, carrying only crew members, into Ho Chi Minh City.

An airplane at Noi Bai international airport. Photo: Giang Huy.

From the 3rd to the 6th day of Tet, travel demand significantly reverses. Booking rates on routes from various localities back to Ho Chi Minh City sharply increase, commonly reaching 80-100%, with many routes such as Pleiku, Tuy Hoa, Quy Nhon, Chu Lai, Vinh, Thanh Hoa, Hue, and Hai Phong to Ho Chi Minh City being almost fully booked.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, air travel demand during the Lunar New Year 2026 remains high but is unevenly distributed between the two directions of travel. This creates significant pressure on operational management, aircraft fleet allocation, and flight operations, resulting in numerous empty flights.

Despite the high overall supply capacity maintained by airlines, increasing flights on "hot" routes during specific peak days still faces challenges due to airport operating conditions.

Tet of the Year of the Horse 2026 holiday schedule. Graphic: Ta Lu.

This Tet, airlines have provided an unprecedented number of seats. From the 15th of the twelfth lunar month until the end of the 15th of the first lunar month, domestic airlines expect to operate over 36,900 flights, marking a 27% increase compared to the same period during Tet of the Year of the Snake 2025, and a 22% increase over normal flight schedules.

Of these, domestic flights are projected to reach 27,200, an increase of 31% compared to the same period and 32% compared to normal schedules. International flights are forecast at 9,700, up 17% from the same period and 1% from normal international flight schedules.

To meet the surging passenger demand, Vietnam Airlines has added over 1,300 night flights, providing nearly 300,000 seats. These additional flights focus on routes such as Ha Noi/Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City - Hai Phong/Vinh/Tho Xuan, Ho Chi Minh City - Hue/Cam Ranh, and Ho Chi Minh City - Buon Ma Thuot.

Doan Loan