Customers rush to book last minute tours
Busy with year-end work, 2 weeks before Tet holiday, Ms. Lan Anh (38 years old, Hanoi) hurriedly looked for a tour, planning to travel with her family after the 2nd day of Tet but currently most of the foreign tours are fully booked.
Ms. Lan said: “When I asked travel companies, most of the foreign tours that require visas were full. I only had the option of going to China, Southeast Asian countries or traveling domestically.”
According to Ms. Lan Anh's research, the domestic tourism market during Tet is also very busy, most of the hot destinations such as Nha Trang, Da Nang, Da Lat... are crowded, making it difficult to book air tickets or hotel rooms.
Speaking with Lao Dong, Mr. Bui Thanh Tu - Marketing Director of BestPrice - said that the domestic and international tourism market is more vibrant than ever.
According to Mr. Tu, the situation of booking Tet tours this year has improved significantly as many tour routes have been fully booked very early. “The prices of tours departing during this time are higher than usual due to the increased costs of services such as transportation, food, accommodation, entertainment, etc. However, most of our tour routes have been “sold out” and had to close earlier than expected. Tours to Japan, Korea, Australia, Europe, etc. have all been closed since the end of December,” said a company representative.
Currently, the company only accepts customers for some domestic tours and a few last slots such as Thailand, China (Shanghai - Hangzhou - Suzhou route)... are also receiving a lot of attention and demand from customers.
Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu - General Director of Vitamin Tours & Event - said that the company had prepared to receive tours and welcome guests a month before Tet. Due to the 9-day holiday, many guests chose to travel abroad, tours to Japan, Korea, Europe, etc. were of interest to many people, and visas were still required, so they were "closed" long before Tet.
For domestic tours, popular destinations during this time are often big cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, localities with beautiful landscapes, eco-tourism areas, islands like Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Hoi An, or Spring tours like Da Lat, Sa Pa, Tam Dao, Ninh Binh...
Mr. Hieu commented: “Tour prices have increased by about 15-30% compared to normal days, and may continue to increase at the last minute, when the number of customers registering close to Tet is increasing. However, travel companies have informed customers in advance about prices and year-end promotions so that customers can take advantage of them.”
Bustling Tet tour market
According to data from online travel platform Agoda, Vietnam continues to be an attractive destination for international visitors during the Lunar New Year 2025 with the number of accommodation searches increasing by 139% compared to the same period last year. In particular, the number of interested and searched accommodation from Chinese visitors increased by 300%, visitors from other markets such as Taiwan (China), South Korea... also increased sharply.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese tourists tend to be interested in international destinations such as Bangkok (Thailand), Tokyo (Japan) and Singapore. In particular, Tokyo, Japan recorded a 193% increase in searches, surpassing Bali and becoming the most favorite destination for Vietnamese tourists during Tet this year.
In addition to package tours, travel agencies also provide flight and hotel booking services, flexibly meeting customers' needs. Mr. Bui Thanh Tu said: "During the Lunar New Year, the demand for travel and accommodation increased sharply from independent tourists, causing the number of bookings of the company to increase significantly, about 30 - 40%".
In preparation for the peak season of Lunar New Year this year, many travel and tourism companies have made detailed plans early, ensuring to bring customers the most complete travel experiences. In terms of products, tours are flexibly designed, ranging from domestic to international, suitable for Tet holiday time and market trends.
“We have worked early and finalized information with airline, hotel and service partners at the destination to ensure stable tour prices. The booking and customer care system has also been upgraded to quickly handle the increased number of service requests during the Tet season,” said Mr. Tu.
