Vietnamese tourists spend lavishly to celebrate Tet abroad
In the last days of the year, after completing work to start the Lunar New Year 2026 holiday, Tran Tu Anh (23 years old, Hung Yen) excitedly packed her suitcase for a very different journey: celebrating Tet abroad. The destination she chose is Harbin (China).
The plan has been cherished by Tu Anh since the middle of the year, after seeing images of the famous Snow and Ice Festival of the Northern city. "I want to celebrate New Year's Eve in white snow, to see ice castles shining with lights instead of the familiar fireworks," Tu Anh shared.
The trip is expected to last 6 days, fully during the Tet holiday. Because booking the tour early, the female tourist said the price was quite reasonable, about 36 million VND. In addition to visiting the ice and snow festival, Tu Anh plans to experience traditional culture and cuisine of Northeast China.
Not only Tu Anh, the trend of celebrating Tet abroad for Vietnamese tourists is clearly increasing. According to a survey of Tet Nguyen Dan 2026 travel trends announced by the online travel platform Trip. com on February 10, the international air demand of Vietnamese tourists increased by 67% compared to the same period in 2025 - the highest growth rate in Southeast Asia.
Ticket booking data shows that Vietnamese tourists are increasingly prioritizing high-quality experiences during the first holiday of the year. Up to 51% choose 5-star hotels, 30% choose the 4-star segment and only 19% stay at establishments from 3 stars or less. The trend of "self-rewarding" with high-class services, extending stays is becoming more popular during Tet.
In addition, the habit of booking services has also changed when the rate of customers booking tickets 60 days or more in advance decreased compared to the previous year, showing an increasing trend of flexibility and deciding on trips close to the date. These figures reflect a new picture of how Vietnamese people celebrate Tet - not only traditional reunion but also willingness to explore the world in their own way.
Tour closing at the last minute
According to Vietravel's records, the outbound tourism market during this Lunar New Year recorded positive growth compared to the same period last year, with an estimated increase of about 15-25%, depending on each market and product segment. This is a signal that the demand for overseas travel of Vietnamese tourists has clearly recovered and entered a more stable growth phase.
Mr. Pham Van Bay - Deputy Director of Vietravel Hanoi said: "The most interested overseas tours by Vietnamese customers are in the price range of 15-60 million VND/person. This is a price considered suitable for the spending level of the majority of families, while still ensuring service quality, travel time and complete experience during long vacations.
In the 15-30 million VND segment, customers mainly choose tours in Southeast Asia or China, Taiwan (China), Korea with a compact itinerary and good standard services. The 30-45 million VND tour group recorded stable purchasing power on routes such as Japan, Dubai, thanks to the balance between cost and experience.
Meanwhile, the 45-60 million VND tour segment attracts groups of customers who want to experience deeper or choose long-day journeys, higher services, especially family tours or groups of customers traveling with relatives.
About half a month before the Lunar New Year, many tours departing during the Tet peak have reached 85%. Some beautiful flight schedules or tours with limited number of customers have closed early.
Vietravel recorded a fairly balanced rate of customers between domestic tours (42%) and overseas tours (58%). The best-selling is 4-6 day tours. In particular, overseas Vietnamese returning home for Spring travel increased by about 30% compared to the same period.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu - General Director of Vitamin Tour & Event informed: "European tourists and some Asian countries such as Korea, Japan, and China choosing to celebrate Tet abroad will depart from around the 27th, 28th of Tet. In addition, there are still many tourists celebrating Tet domestically, then starting their outbound spring travel journey of 5-8 days.
Mr. Hieu added that for tours requiring visas, businesses have finalized tours early. Currently, tours still accepting customers mainly include road tourism through Lao Cai, Mong Cai border gates..., visa-free tours or tours departing in March.
With domestic tours, most businesses currently have finalized tours for group customers. Mr. Lai Huu Lam - Head of Operations Department of Hay International Tour Joint Stock Company said: "This year, our business welcomes many groups of tourists from the South to visit and travel to the Northwest region. Most customers choose to celebrate Tet at home, then depart from around the 3rd or 4th day of Tet.
Currently, some businesses have finalized the last slots for domestic tours during the Lunar New Year. To attract customers at the last minute, travel companies launch promotions from 500,000 - 1 million VND, giving spring gifts and many other attractive vouchers.
On the other hand, for customers booking air ticket and hotel room combos, the remaining number is not large. Businesses recommend that tourists book early to avoid the situation of running out of combos and prices increasing sharply at the last minute.
