Year of the Tiger: The number of Vietnamese people choosing to travel during Tet has increased sharply.

Many resorts are fully booked during the Lunar New Year holiday.

This year's Tet holiday saw a significant increase in travel demand among Vietnamese people compared to last year. However, due to restrictions on traveling abroad, most tourists chose to travel domestically, and a large proportion opted for high-end resorts.

In the North, Topas Ecolodge resort (Sa Pa) was fully booked for the nights of the 3rd and 4th of Tet; for the nights of the 1st and 2nd, the occupancy rate was 50-70% and was expected to be fully booked soon. Explaining this demand, Mr. Tran Thanh Thuy, Vice President of the Sa Pa Tourism Association, said that last year many hotels in Sa Pa liquidated or closed down, and due to a shortage of supply during this holiday, rooms were quickly booked up.

In Hoa Binh, Avana Retreat was fully booked for the 3rd and 4th days of Tet (Lunar New Year) and all higher-class rooms for the remaining days, with only a few lower-class rooms remaining. Serena Resort Kim Boi achieved over 70% occupancy for all holiday days. Many high-end rooms at several 5-star resorts in Ha Long (Quang Ninh) and Thanh Hoa were also fully booked, with prices reduced by about 40-50% compared to before.

In Hue, the Alba Wellness by Fusion resort and onsen still had many rooms available for Tet (Lunar New Year) until the end of December, but now it's impossible to book rooms on online booking apps like Agoda. Similarly, the Tet holiday tourism market is extremely vibrant in the South, especially in popular destinations like Hoi An, Da Lat, Phu Quoc, and Ho Chi Minh City... On booking platforms like Agoda and Booking, many hotels and resorts have announced that they are fully booked for the first few days of the new year.

"Although the situation seems quiet, in reality, bookings for hotels and resorts across Vietnam during the Lunar New Year holiday are increasing daily, with some places almost fully booked a few days after Tet," shared Tuan Anh, representative of Balcony Media in Vietnam (a group specializing in media services for high-end hotels). "Many people living in big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City don't return to their hometowns for Tet, so their demand for travel before and after Tet is also very high."

According to Mr. Tuan Anh, at Alma Resort Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa), bookings currently account for over 70% of the total rooms available for sale and are still increasing rapidly. The resort plans to operate at full capacity. At Azerai Can Tho, very few rooms are still available for the days from the 3rd day of Tet (Lunar New Year). Most high-end hotels and resorts have rooms booked.entertainment program or promotionIn preparation for the Lunar New Year holiday, some places also require guests to book for two nights or more during peak days such as the 3rd and 4th day of the Lunar New Year.

Start the year with a "Travel for Healing" trip.

With safety being the top priority, tourists during this Tet holiday tend to choose trips to green areas with good disease control, focusing on relaxation, beauty treatments, and wellness. This is also why many hotels and resorts are constantly promoting wellness services for both physical and mental well-being, such as spas, yoga, meditation, or scenic nature excursions.

In Quang Binh - Vietnam's "green paradise" - discounts of up to 50% have also been introduced, applicable throughout the province.extended until the end of 2022.

After a long period of turmoil, confusion, and only going out when necessary, many people choose to travel during Tet (Lunar New Year) hoping to dispel the worries of the past year and spend that precious time seeking peace with loved ones before entering a new cycle.

"This Tet holiday, my family and I plan to travel to Phu Quoc for three days and two nights," shared Bui Bich Thao, a university student. "My family doesn't usually travel, but due to the pandemic, the costs of services like flights and accommodation have dropped significantly, so my family has decided to go."

"I'm also busy and don't have much time to spend with my parents, so having the opportunity to travel with my family makes me very happy and excited," Bich Thao added. Although the pandemic situation is still tense, the whole family has received all three doses of the vaccine, so she feels somewhat more at ease.

The "sold out" situation shows that the trend of Vietnamese people being ready for trips during Tet is becoming increasingly popular; however, some people still have anxieties and hesitations when it comes to traveling.

When asked about her concerns regarding traveling during Tet (Lunar New Year), Ms. Nguyen Kim Cuc (born in 1989, living in Hanoi), a frequent traveler, confided: "Whether you feel safe or not depends on each person's mindset. Personally, I think that if you're constantly worried, you won't be able to travel anywhere. We should also consider adapting to living with the pandemic; just always comply with COVID-19 prevention regulations when traveling."

The ideal time to start new experiences.

Many young people also choose to pack their bags and embark on trips during Tet, not to find a relaxing vacation, but to seek new experiences in the "new normal".

Unlike many others, travel blogger Bui Viet Ha started her 2022 journey early, with her destination being the mountainous regions of Northern Vietnam on a 20-day trip. Ms. Ha said that after the trip ends, she will return home to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year) with her family.

Ngoc Vy (born in 1995, living in Hanoi), also one of those excitedly preparing for her first trip of the new year, shared: "Thanks to the pandemic, my Tet holiday plans this year have changed for the first time, unlike previous years. The lockdowns in 2021 gave me more time at home, allowing me to bond more with my family, so I think continuing to stay home during Tet 2022 would be quite... ritualistic. Instead, I chose to travel alone starting from the first day of Tet, to bring 'good luck' for new lessons and a fresh start to the new year."

"Vietnam, and the world in general, have undergone many changes over the past two years due to the pandemic. Clearly, 2022 will be the ideal time for us to embark on new journeys – not only for travel, relaxation, and sightseeing, but also to observe how life and the people around us have changed. I am eager to see all these new things."

Khanh Ha