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As the Lunar New Year (Year of the Snake) approached, the tourism market in Ho Chi Minh City witnessed a rather unexpected phenomenon: several travel agencies reported being extremely surprised by the sudden surge in tour bookings during this peak season. Normally, bookings for Tet (Lunar New Year) tours are made closer to the date, but this year, the number of customers interested in and booking tours early exceeded the expectations of many businesses, creating a vibrant and exciting atmosphere in the tourism market.
This year's Lunar New Year travel market shows a diverse range of customer choices, from overseas tours to domestic destinations. From the beginning of December, many travel businesses recorded impressive business results, especially in the overseas tourism sector, with over 80% of tour plans already completed.
With only 40 days left until the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Snake, the tourism market is more vibrant than ever.
More notably, domestic tours have sold out 100% of their planned schedules, and businesses are rushing to launch additional tours to meet the increasing demand from customers. Regarding popular destinations, tourists tend to choose overseas travel markets such as Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan (China), Turkey, and Australia.
Meanwhile, domestic tourism continues to see the rise of the northern mountainous provinces and the Central Highlands, familiar destinations that still retain their special appeal. In particular, this year, tours to the Mekong Delta have also received considerable attention from customers.
During this year's Lunar New Year (Year of the Snake), the tourism market witnessed price fluctuations, mainly due to a significant increase in airfare and other tourism services. This led to adjustments in tour prices, with increases ranging from 4% to 20% compared to regular tour prices. However, it is noteworthy that this increase was kept at a reasonable level.
Several travel agencies have officially announced that they have finalized all planned tour bookings for the 2025 Lunar New Year holiday.
Compared to the prices of Tet tours in 2024 (Year of the Dragon), the prices of Tet tours in 2025 (Year of the Snake) this year have not increased dramatically. This is the result of early efforts by travel businesses in proactively working with airlines and tourism service providers. Negotiating and signing contracts early has helped businesses secure favorable prices, thereby minimizing the impact of rising airfare and service costs on tour prices.
A survey published last week by Booking.com revealed the destinations most sought after by Vietnamese and international tourists for this year's Tet holiday. Domestically, Da Lat, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc are the most popular destinations. Searches for Da Lat increased by 300% compared to last year, Nha Trang by 200%, and Phu Quoc by 180%. Following closely behind are major cities like Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi, which attract many tourists due to their rich history, vibrant culture, and diverse culinary scene.
