Summer airfares soar after exam season

After exams at all levels, the summer tourist season enters its peak. The skyrocketing demand for travel pushes domestic airfares to many "hot" routes, sometimes even higher than international airfares such as those to Thailand, Korea, etc.

Demand for air travel during the summer has increased sharply. In the photo: passengers at Phu Quoc airport in June 2025 - Photo: QUANG DINH

Airlines are competing to increase flights and offer strong promotions to attract customers, but airfares are still very high on many hot routes.

"Open the website to see the dizzying flight ticket prices!"

Domestic ticket prices this summer have increased significantly compared to the beginning of the season, with some routes soaring to the same level or even higher than international tickets. Ms. Nguyen My Huong (35 years old, Lai Thieu Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said that in early July 2025, her whole family chose Da Nang as their favorite destination thanks to the blue sea, rich cuisine , and especially taking their children on the cable car to Ba Na Hill.

However, when she opened the website to check the prices of 4 domestic airlines, she was shocked to see that round-trip tickets cost nearly 3.7 - 4 million VND/person. Airfare for 4 people is nearly 15 million VND, plus hotel, food, and sightseeing costs at least 35 - 40 million VND.

"The kids are excited, but I have to think about going closer or taking the train or bus to save money," said Ms. Huong.

A survey on online ticketing platforms shows that from the beginning of July to August 15, during the peak summer tourist season, domestic ticket prices increased by 5-10% compared to June. "Hot" routes such as Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi, Hanoi - Phu Quoc, Hanoi - Da Nang all witnessed prices higher than usual.

specifically, the Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi route is rarely under 1.7 million VND/way for Vietjet, excluding taxes and fees. Meanwhile, Vietnam Airlines costs 2.1 - 3.8 million VND/way. Many coastal routes such as Ho Chi Minh City - Phu Quoc are priced at 2.5 - 4 million VND/way, meaning a round trip costs 5 - 8 million VND/person if booked late.

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The paradox is that these fares are sometimes equal to or higher than international fares on short flights.

For example, Ho Chi Minh City - Bangkok is only from 1.6 million VND/way, round trip is about 3 - 4 million VND. Hanoi - Bangkok is commonly 3.2 - 5.7 million VND round trip.

Vietjet even sells tickets from Hanoi to Busan (South Korea) for only 4.8 million VND/round trip, competing directly with domestic flights from Hanoi to Phu Quoc.

Airfare prices are constantly fluctuating, causing many families to look for ways to hunt for airfare, choosing early or late night flights for lower prices.

Ms. Tran My Linh, a garment worker in Ho Chi Minh City, shares her worries that every summer she wants to take her two young children back to her hometown in Quang Nam (now Da Nang). "I have to wait for midnight tickets, and when I see cheaper ones, I buy them right away, but they are always late at night," Ms. Linh said.

Why are domestic ticket prices increasing sharply?

According to airlines, airfares are seasonal. During summer, Tet, etc., demand increases dramatically but operating capacity increases very limitedly. Some busy routes can only add 1-2 flights/day. When demand exceeds supply, prices inevitably increase. This is the normal operating rule of the industry.

In addition to seasonal factors, input costs, which account for 70-80% of ticket prices, also play a major role. Jet A1 fuel prices, aircraft rental and maintenance costs are all in foreign currencies. Fluctuations in oil prices and the USD exchange rate cause airlines' costs to rise, making it difficult to reduce ticket prices.

To limit excessive fluctuations, the Ministry of Construction has directed the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to coordinate capacity regulation and reasonable flight allocation to avoid local pressure on "hot" routes such as Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi, Hanoi - Phu Quoc.

Despite seasonal increases in ticket prices, airlines are not sitting still. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, the total number of domestic flights in the summer of 2025 is expected to be 68,558, about 745 flights/day, providing nearly 14 million seats, an increase of 21% in flights and 18% in seats compared to the summer of 2024.

Vietnam Airlines said that its domestic flight network alone increased sharply by 28% during the peak summer season, reaching more than 6.3 million seats. In total, the airline plans to operate more than 43,000 flights, nearly 9 million seats, an increase of 14% compared to last year. Flights such as Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Phu Quoc, Quy Nhon are given priority for additional capacity.

Vietjet has added more than 600,000 seats across its domestic and international flight network. In addition to serving domestic routes, the airline has also increased flight frequency to Australia, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Southeast Asian countries.

The airline said that from July 7, it will launch a discount program of up to 77% for millions of tickets on all domestic and international routes, applicable for travel from August 11 to March 28, 2026. This is considered a long-term stimulus strategy, encouraging customers to plan early with more savings.

Worry about flight delays

According to Tuoi Tre , in addition to the increase in airfares, passengers are concerned about the tense situation of flight delays of airlines during the summer. Many people choose national airlines to limit the situation of flight delays, but in reality, it still happens continuously, causing customers to complain. Not to mention other airlines such as Vietjet, Bamboo Airways, Pacific Airlines are often delayed during peak hours of the day.

According to an expert in the field of flight operations, the collision of a Boeing 787 and an A321 aircraft of an airline caused the two aircraft to be temporarily suspended for repair. A Boeing 787 aircraft has the passenger capacity of 2 A321 aircraft.

The unexpected incident broke out the airline's flight schedule, leading to delays.

International prices also "increased slightly"

While domestic tickets are hot, international fares are still quite competitive. For example, Ho Chi Minh City - Bangkok or Hanoi - Singapore remains at 1.6 - 2.5 million VND/way, almost equal to or cheaper than many "hot" domestic routes. However, international fares have started to "increase slightly".

Hanoi - Seoul increased by about 8% compared to June, to 4.5 - 6.1 million VND/round trip. To save money with reasonable ticket prices, according to airline representatives, customers should proactively book 3 - 4 weeks in advance, choose to fly mid-week or during off-peak hours.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/gia-ve-may-bay-he-leo-thang-sau-mua-thi-20250706073711119.htm