With less than a week left until the 9-day Lunar New Year 2026 holiday, the self-drive car rental market in Hanoi recorded a sudden increase in demand. Car rental prices accordingly increased sharply, commonly from 40% to 100% compared to normal days, many reputable car rental units have fallen into a "car shortage" situation.
The 2026 Lunar New Year holiday takes place from February 14 to February 22. 2. This is a period when people's travel demand is increasing, especially on routes from Hanoi to provinces. In the context of overloaded passenger cars and increased fares, self-drive car rental is chosen by many families to be proactive about time and route.
Mr. Phung The Nhiem (Ha Dong district, Hanoi) said that because he did not have the conditions to buy a private car, his family chose to rent a self-driving car to take his wife and children home for Tet. "My hometown is Hung Yen, my wife's hometown is Ninh Binh. Taking a passenger car is very inconvenient, and taxis cost high and depend on time. Renting a self-driving car helps the family be more proactive and carry more belongings," Mr. Nhiem shared.
According to Mr. Nhiem, self-drive car rental also helps families flexibly stop to rest and shop during travel, which passenger cars find difficult to meet. With a price of about 1.5 million VND/day for economy cars, fuel consumption of 6–7 liters/100km, the total cost is considered more economical than buying a passenger car ticket for the whole family.
Besides self-driving cars, the demand for renting cars with drivers also increased sharply during Tet, especially for customers who have new driver's licenses or are concerned about traffic violations. The price of this service increased by about 30-40% compared to the previous year, many car rental companies in Hanoi have fully booked their schedules.
Mr. Dang Duc Khoi (from Dai Tu, Thai Nguyen) said that because he just got a driver's license and is not confident in driving long distances, his family decided to rent a driver's car. "On Tet, you can drink alcohol and beer, renting a driver's car helps the family feel more secure and safe," Mr. Khoi said.
Talking to a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Thanh Tung - representative of Tam Phat Company (Kim Ma, Hanoi) said that although the market this year is not as bustling as in previous years due to the increase in the number of private cars, self-drive car rentals are still in shortage. "Car rental prices during Tet increased by 50% compared to normal days. Customers who book early from November 2025 can save about 20% of costs," Mr. Tung said.
According to Mr. Tung, the current self-drive car rental price ranges from 400,000 to 2.1 million VND/day, or a 7-10 day package rental with prices ranging from 10 to 35 million VND, depending on the type of car, rental time and car delivery location.
Meanwhile, Mr. Duc Linh - representative of HiXe Transport Company (Cau Giay ward, Hanoi) said that all vehicles of the unit have been booked by customers. "Although cars are "out of stock", Tet rental prices this year have not increased compared to last year," Mr. Linh said.
The rental price of cars with drivers at this unit ranges from 1.1 million VND/shift for small car lines such as Morning, i10; 1.3–1.5 million VND/shift for Vios, Honda City, Toyota Innova; high-end car lines such as Mercedes C200 about 2.2 million VND/shift, Mercedes GLC about 3.5 million VND/shift. Each car shift is limited to 250km, exceeding this distance will be charged an additional 2,000 VND/km.
According to rental units, customers must be responsible throughout the time of using the vehicle, including traffic violations and collisions. In addition to presenting a driver's license, citizen identification card and related documents, self-drive car rental customers must deposit a minimum of 10 million VND to ensure responsibility during vehicle use.
