Today (February 14th, i.e., December 27th of the lunar calendar), Tan Son Nhat airport entered the peak day before the Binh Ngo Lunar New Year 2026 with a record number of nearly 160,000 passengers. From early morning, the terminal halls were already packed with people.
According to data from Tan Son Nhat International Airport, February 14th was the peak of the Tet peak period with 1,041 flights and 154,843 passengers. Among them, the greatest pressure was concentrated in the domestic direction with nearly 70,000 passengers leaving Ho Chi Minh City. In reality, from early morning, terminals T1 and T2 were always crowded.
Passengers carrying bulky luggage and Tet gifts lined up in the check-in area. The departure hall area always maintains a very high density because many families choose to fly early to be able to return home to reunite on the first day of the holiday.
Present at the airport very early before departure, Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan (39 years old, residing in Thong Tay Hoi ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said: "Because I was worried about airport overload during Tet, I proactively arrived 2 hours in advance to check in for a flight to Hanoi.
Quite surprisingly, it only took me a few minutes to complete the check-in, get a ticket and move straight to the security screening area. Everything was much faster than I expected," Mr. Tuan added.
In contrast to the hustle and bustle at the departure station, the lobby area of international terminal T2 is bustling with a reunion atmosphere. At gates A1, A2, the waiting seats are always full, thousands of people gather to welcome relatives and overseas Vietnamese returning home for Tet.
Representatives of airlines have issued notices hoping passengers will sympathize if flight delays occur. The reason is the excessively dense flight density at both ends of Tan Son Nhat and Noi Bai airports, combined with foggy weather in the North, causing many aircraft to queue for takeoff and landing, causing a chain reaction to subsequent flights.
To avoid missing flights in the context of crowded airports, airlines recommend passengers to check in online and be at the airport at least 3 hours before departure time.
