Post-holiday air tickets to HCMC sold out

By Anh Tu February 15, 2024 | 03:07 pm PT

Air passengers seen at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on Feb. 14, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

Economy seats on post-holiday flights from northern and central regions to Ho Chi Minh City have sold out, forcing passengers to opt for business class tickets priced at up to VND10 million ($410).

From Feb.15-19, most flights from Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Quang Binh, and Gia Lai to HCMC have no available seats.

For this week, only business seats on the Hanoi-HCMC route offered by Vietnam Airlines are available, costing VND10 million, leaving travelers with urgent needs to look for alternative transportation methods to the southern city.

Following the seven-day Lunar New Year holiday, there's a surge in travel demand as individuals return to major cities for work.

Ngoc Son from Hanoi is considering a detour through Bangkok to reach HCMC, with an estimated total expense of VND7.5 million.

While seats will be available after Feb. 19, prices remain steep, with the lowest fare on the Hai Phong-HCMC route being VND3.5 million. Starting the next week, fares for the Hanoi-HCMC flights will begin at VND3 million.

On Wednesday, the last day of the holiday, Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC handled 148,000 passengers across 836 flights, surpassing its expected maximum of 140,000 passengers and marking the busiest day of the holiday period.