People flock to tourism destinations on last 3 days of Tet holidays

Most hotels and homestays in downtown Da Lat that VnExpress contacted are occupied from Sunday to Thursday.

The major attraction in the Central Highlands, known for its cool climate and flowers, saw the number of tourists between Feb. 8 and 12 jumping by 22.4% from the same period last year, according to local authorities.

"People filled downtown streets on Monday," a tour guide said.

Tourists started to arrive in the beach town of Phan Thiet in central Vietnam on Monday, which was the third day of the New Year.

It is a tradition for people to spend the first two days of the year with family and relatives.

Ky, the owner of a homestay there, said all rooms are booked for Tuesday, and occupancy is 90% between Sunday and Thursday.

Phu Quy Island, another travel spot in the central province of Binh Thuan, saw an influx of tourists on Tuesday.

Over 1,000 have registered to visit the island on Tuesday, Nguyen Van Linh, deputy director of Phu Quy Tourism Company, said.

He added that boat services were suspended during the previous three days since the weather was not good.

Huynh Ka, who owns a local homestay, said the weather has become fine and businesses are ready to welcome tourists.

Vung Tau beach town in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau also saw large numbers of visitors arrive on Monday, mostly from nearby localities.

Many were seen on the beach on Monday despite strong waves, and parking lots were full.

Local authorities reported the arrival of 130,000 visitors on Sunday and hotels had 45% occupancy.

Phu Quoc Island recorded 192,000 arrivals between Feb. 8 and 12, up 43% year-on-year, with tourism revenues estimated at VND704 billion.

Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam’s former capital in the central region, saw a 17% spike in the number of tourists to 100,000, and hotels reported occupancy of 62%.

Passengers travel on a double-decker in Ho Chi Minh City on Dec. 12, 2024. Photo courtesy of Hop On Hop Off Vietnam

In HCMC, the country’s biggest city, many businesses are remaining open through the seven-day holiday.

Nguyen Kim Toan, director of Thuong Nhat Company, said the company’s boat service has been operating non-stop.

Seven to nine trips are made daily with around 50 passengers each, 5-10% of them foreigners.

The Hop On Hop Off open double-decker has been operating 24 hours each day during the holidays, making 48 trips daily, and is mostly fully occupied.

Tourism company Vietfluxtour reported a 50% year-on-year rise in its customer numbers.

HCMC received 75,000 tourists during the Tet holidays, a 15.4% increase, and reported tourism revenues of VND6.55 trillion.