On 8/10, online travel platform Trip.com released booking data showing increased demand for travel and accommodation in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on days with major concerts. The platform observed a similar trend in several Southeast Asian destinations.

In Hanoi, BIGBANG performed two nights on 24-25/10 at My Dinh National Stadium as part of their 20th anniversary world tour. According to Trip.com, demand for services began to rise after the tour schedule was announced on 11/6. Tickets went on sale from 13/8, and by 14/8, the early bird sale date, flight and hotel bookings for the concert period were six times the daily average.

Flight bookings to Hanoi for 23-26/10 increased by 74%, with passenger numbers up 76% compared to the same period in 2025. Overall for October, bookings to the capital on the platform rose by 45%. The top source markets included Ho Chi Minh City, Seoul, Taipei, Nagoya, Da Nang, and Busan.

Fans tended to plan early: flight tickets were booked an average of 70 days before the trip, and hotels 76 days. Hotels within a 3 km radius of My Dinh National Stadium were fully booked from 29/7. Room bookings for the nights of 23-24/10 were 15 times higher than the monthly daily average.

Minh Anh, a resident of Ho Chi Minh City, booked her flight and hotel for the trip to Hanoi to attend the concert in July, one month before concert tickets went on sale. She estimated her expenses for the 23-26/10 trip at approximately 17 million VND. "If I can arrange my work, I might change my return ticket and travel for a few more days in Cao Bang after the show," she said.

Audience at a concert held in Ho Chi Minh City, 9/2025. Photo: Tran Quynh

Audience at a concert held in Ho Chi Minh City, 9/2025. Photo: Tran Quynh

In Ho Chi Minh City, Trip.com attributed increased flight and hotel bookings to two domestic concerts, Tinh Ha Say Hi and Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai, taking place on 17-18/10. From 16-19/10, flight bookings to Ho Chi Minh City rose by 77% compared to the same period last year. Hotel room bookings for the nights of 16-17/10 surged by 621%, more than seven times the previous year's figures.

The final three months of the year are also considered "concert season" in Southeast Asia. According to Trip.com, bookings to Bangkok for The Weeknd's performances in October were seven times the daily average, while Kuala Lumpur saw an almost 22-fold increase in early November.

Moving into December, BTS performances are expected to further boost demand for Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore. Flight bookings to Bangkok were more than 12 times higher, and to Singapore nearly eight times higher, compared to the same period in 2025. Bookings concentrated on dates close to the performance times, accounting for 73-91% of total December bookings for each destination, with nearly half of all tickets to these locations purchased since September.

Bich Phuong