Vietnam’s top tourist destinations expect huge crowds over holiday weekend

Vietnam's long holiday at the end of April has become the perfect opportunity to travel, and bookings to popular destinations across the country have been flooding in.

Travel fever has been gripping the nation, from the southern island of Phu Quoc to central tourist destinations like Nha Trang and Da Nang, as most people prepare to enjoy a four-day break that starts this Saturday to mark Reunification Day, the end of the Vietnam War, and Labor Day.

Chan Ly from Saigon said she has been looking for a family room for eight at high-end resorts in Phu Quoc, but they are all fully booked.

Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s biggest island in the far south, has become one of country's top destinations thanks to its idyllic beaches and charming landscape.

However, the island’s natural beauty has been compromised by a tourism boom that has resulted in the overheated development of a safari park and a bunch of luxury hotels, and that development shows no signs of abating.

Similarly, a number of hotels in downtown Nha Trang have no rooms left, and prices have shot up 20-30 percent for the holiday.

A hotel manager on Tran Phu Street said room rates have reached their peak for Reunification Day on Monday and International Labor Day on Tuesday.

Current room rates in the coastal city, which was named among the top 10 destinations in Asia in 2016 by TripAdvisor reviewers, range from VND700,000 ($30.7) to VND1.7 million ($74.7) per night.

The central resort city of Da Nang, which is counting down to a much-anticipated fireworks show scheduled to blast off on Sunday, has also seen a surge in room bookings.

It comes as no surprise that several top-end hotels in the city are already booked up with just four days to go until the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival, one of the highlights of the year in central Vietnam.

The cost of the only rooms left available has doubled compared to normal days, prompting some holidaymakers to look for homestay accommodation.

Travelers may still be able to find rooms at homestay facilities for between VND110,000 ($4.8) and VND350,000 ($15.3) a night, according to locals.

"We tend to lower room rates during the low season to lure more guests, and then push prices up on major holidays such as the Lunar New Year to balance the business," said Dinh Vu, a homestay owner. All hotels, hostels and homestay facilities do the same thing, he said.

The hilly resort city of Da Lat and the southern beach town of Vung Tau are experiencing the same holiday rush, prompting booking sites to urge travelers to make their minds up quickly before rooms run out.

Huong Thi, the owner of Dalat Farmhouse, said room prices have risen by 10-15 percent for this holiday, adding that only a few rooms are still available until May 2.

Known as "Little Paris," the Central Highlands city is famous for its cool climate and poetic landscape, making it an ideal hideaway for a summer retreat.

The total number of foreign visitors to Vietnam in the first quarter of this year surged 30.9 percent year-on-year to 4.2 million.