Two days, cost nearly 3 million VND
The first two days of the 5-day National Day holiday, many families in Ho Chi Minh City take advantage of taking their children to play, eat, shop or make short trips.
On the morning of August 30, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, 38 years old, residing in Thu Duc ward, and her husband took their two children to a few entertainment spots in the city. The family has no plans to go far during National Day because they want to save costs.
According to Ms. Huong, before the holiday, the family plans to spend about 4 million VND for all 5 days. However, after only the first two days, the budget has quickly decreased.
The cost of food, travel, play tickets and buying more things for the children, roughly calculated, is nearly 3 million VND. The remaining days will probably have to be limited," Ms. Huong said.
Her family's two days off start with a breakfast outside, then take the two children to play. At noon, the whole family eats at a budget restaurant. In the evening, they continue to drink water and buy some small items for the children.
The amounts of money seem small, but quickly add up to a large number. "Normally, when children go to school and husband and wife go to work, they mainly eat at home. Holidays, taking children out, almost all expenses arise," Ms. Huong said.
The case of Ms. Huong's family is not isolated. Records on August 29 and 30 show that supermarkets, shopping centers and entertainment venues in Ho Chi Minh City attract a large number of people and tourists. The number of customers at some supermarket systems is concentrated in the afternoon and evening, higher than usual.
At Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, thousands of visitors flocked on August 30, many families chose this as a destination for children during the holidays.
Not going far still costs millions
One of the easily noticeable changes during long holidays is that many families do not necessarily have to travel far. Instead, they choose entertainment spots in the city, but the total cost still increases significantly compared to normal days.
For a family of 4, just one day of going out can include expenses: breakfast 150,000-200,000 VND, gas or transportation money 100,000 - 200,000 VND, play tickets for a few hundred thousand VND, lunch 300,000 - 500,000 VND, drinks and snacks 100,000 - 200,000 VND.
If you buy more clothes, toys or some consumer goods, the total cost can easily exceed 1 million VND/day.
Meanwhile, families who choose to return to their hometowns face another expense: bus tickets, fuel, gifts and food expenses during their days in their hometown.
On August 29, quite a few people in Ho Chi Minh City chose to leave the city to return to their hometowns or go on short trips. Bus routes, ferry terminals and means of transportation all recorded increased passenger volume.
Spending increases, but not every family is well-off. For people with stable incomes, a few million VND for a vacation may be in a pre-plan. However, for middle-income workers or workers, holiday spending must be considered more carefully.
Mr. Phan Minh Hung, a worker renting a room in Dong Hung Than ward, Ho Chi Minh City, said that his family decided not to return to their hometown this time because the travel costs for four people are too high.
Returning to the countryside, the car fare alone is quite expensive. Staying in the city also has to spend money on food and drinks, taking children out to play, but it's still easier to control," he said.
His family set a fixed budget for 5 days of vacation. The first two days, the money is mainly for food and a day to take the children out to play. The remaining days, the family plans to stay at home, limiting unnecessary expenses.
This calculation method is becoming a choice for many families with average incomes: holidays still have activities for children, but the budget cannot increase corresponding to the number of days off.
Purchasing power increases during the holiday
From a market perspective, people's increased spending during the holidays is creating additional revenue for many business groups.
Supermarkets, shopping centers, restaurants, entertainment venues, passenger transport and food services all benefit from the increased flow of people during the holidays. In 2025, for 4 days of National Day holiday alone, Ho Chi Minh City recorded about 1.45 million visitors, entertainment, and resorts, and tourism revenue is estimated at 4,140 billion VND.
This year, the holiday is extended to 5 days for groups applying the swap option, from August 29 to September 2.
Therefore, if the spending trend of people in the first two days continues to be maintained, the total amount of money poured into eating, playing, shopping and traveling during the holidays may continue to increase.
However, for each family, the story is different. After two days, Ms. Huong started recalculating the budget for the remaining three days.
At the beginning of the holiday, I thought there were still many days left, so I spent a little freely. Looking back today, I realized that the money went quite quickly. The remaining three days, the family will probably be at home more often," she said.
A 5-day holiday is therefore not only the story of where people go, what to play, but also reflects quite clearly the purchasing power and actual spending capacity of each family.
For high-income families, vacation is an opportunity for consumption and experience. For many worker families, it is a balancing problem between the joy of children and the remaining money for the days after the holiday.
