An aircraft at the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy
Flights from HCMC to various destinations in central Vietnam are fully booked between Feb. 10 and 15, which is the week before Tet (Lunar New Year).
These include services to airports in Hue and Da Nang cities and in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Binh Dinh, and Quang Tri provinces, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.
Flights to other central destinations and northern airports are more than 90% full, it said.
Migrant workers in HCMC often return to their hometowns a few days before Tet, which falls on Feb. 17 this year, driving up travel demand.
In contrast, most flights in the return direction have very low booking rates except from Hanoi, which are 85-88% sold out.
This demand shoots up towards the end of the holidays, when people make their way back to the city.
Thus, flights from various central locations to HCMC are over 80% booked for Feb. 19-22, with those from Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Binh Dinh and Nghe An being sold out.
Vietnamese carriers are expected to operate more than 36,900 flights this year for Tet, a 27% increase from 2025. They include 27,200 domestic flights, up 31%.
