HCM CITY  Airline carriers have rolled out budget-friendly fares in preparation for the busy summer travel season.

Compared to just over 10 days ago when ticket sales first opened, summer peak season airfares have not fluctuated significantly, and many routes are unexpectedly affordable.

With just over a week left before students nationwide begin their longest holiday of the year, many families are starting to plan trips home or vacations. 

This marks the beginning of the peak season for both air services and tourism. 

Since early May, national carrier Vietnam Airlines has put nearly nine million seats on sale, equivalent to over 43,000 flights on both domestic and international routes, to serve passengers during the peak summer travel season from May 15 to August 15. 

Both the number of flights and available seats have increased by nearly 14 per cent compared to the same period last year.

A Vietnam Airlines representative said that this summer peak season, the airlines will operate 33,000 domestic flights with over 6.3 million seats. 

Compared to the regular schedule, this is a 28 per cent increase in domestic capacity, equivalent to nearly 1.4 million additional seats. 

Notably, early morning and late-night flights continue to be offered as a proactive measure to boost seat availability. 

Routes connecting Hà Nội and HCM City with popular destinations like Đà Nẵng, Nha Trang, Phú Quốc, Đà Lạt, Huế, Quy Nhơn and Thanh Hóa are expected to attract a large number of passengers during summer 2025. 

As such, Vietnam Airlines will focus capacity on these routes to best meet travel demand.

Similarly, Vietjet Air plans to offer more than 400,000 additional seats, equivalent to 1,600 flights, during the summer peak period from June 1 to July 15, on routes to and from Hà Nội, HCM City, Đà Nẵng, Nha Trang, Huế, Quảng Bình, Quy Nhơn, Tuy Hòa and Phú Quốc, among others. 

This figure is only about half the number of flights Vietjet operated during last year’s summer peak. 

However, seat availability remains high, and the airline is prepared to increase capacity further if passenger demand rises.

Meanwhile, Bamboo Airways and Vietravel Airlines have yet to announce any increases in flights for this summer. 

Nonetheless, passengers can still easily book summer tickets from these airlines.

Surveys indicate that airfares from now until mid-July haven’t increased much compared to last year. 

Prices begin to rise at the end of May and peak in June, but booking last-minute now or waiting until July may present opportunities to travel at fairly affordable rates.

“My family planned to go to Đà Nẵng in June, but Vietnam Airlines tickets for weekend flights are around VNĐ2.5 million per route, similar to the April 30 – May 1 holiday peak. However, if we go this weekend or next, tickets are just around VNĐ1.5 million per route, just over half the price. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen prices this low, so I’m seriously considering rearranging my schedule to travel early for both the cheaper fare and less crowds,” said Trần Thanh Hà in HCM City.

Even though HCM City - Đà Nẵng is one of the most popular tourist routes, fares remain surprisingly low.

For example, if travelling next Saturday on May 24, Hà and other families can get tickets from Vietravel Airlines for under VNĐ1 million per route. 

On the same day, Vietjet also offers numerous flights priced between VNĐ1.1 - 1.2 million per route. 

However, these are mostly in the late afternoon or evening, which suits families heading home for the summer. 

For travel enthusiasts, the preferred time slots from 9am to 4pm tend to be more expensive, by several hundred thousand to nearly a million đồng more per route, depending on the flight and airline.

Other routes like HCM City - Hà Nội, Hà Nội - Đà Nẵng, and Hà Nội - Nha Trang follow similar patterns, with flights spread across various time slots and price ranges to meet the diverse needs of passengers.

Booming peak season

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam, during the 2025 summer peak, airlines are expected to operate 68,558 domestic flights, an average of 745 per day, marking a 21 per cent increase in flights and a 18 per cent increase in seats compared to both the unboosted schedule and summer 2024. 

Routes to tourist hotspots like Cam Ranh, Phú Quốc, Đà Lạt, and Quy Nhơn will see over 20,000 flights, accounting for 30 per cent of the total and increasing by 32 per cent in flights and 21 per cent in seats compared to the previous year. 

These routes will offer nearly 4.1 million seats.

For the main routes between Hà Nội, Đà Nẵng, and HCM City, airlines will operate approximately 26,800 flights, with a 24 per cent increase in flights and a 14 per cent increase in seats, totaling nearly 5.9 million seats.

This growth in flight numbers corresponds to the booming tourism sector. 

Travel companies report that summer tour bookings began to heat up in mid-April, with tourists exploring destinations and packages for trips with family, friends, and colleagues. 

For domestic travel, beach destinations remain the top choice. 

This year, tour operators are promoting packages to locations with amusement parks, such as Bà Nà Hills in Đà Nẵng, Sun World Hạ Long in Quảng Ninh, VinWonders Nha Trang in Khánh Hoà, and Phú Quốc in Kiên Giang, offering full entertainment ecosystems suitable for families.

To stimulate the tourism industry, especially domestic travel, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has directed localities to ramp up tourism promotion campaigns, incentives, and initiatives to attract visitors this summer. 

According to tourism officials, localities and travel businesses have proactively organised large-scale cultural, sports, and performing arts events, creating a wave of new tourism products.

The successful turnout during the Lunar New Year and April 30 - May 1 holidays serves as a strong launchpad for what’s expected to be a booming summer 2025 for Việt Nam’s tourism industry. VNS