Tran Nguyen Phuong Linh from Binh Thuy district is considering traveling to either Da Lat or Phan Thiet because of the short holidays. Currently, she and her friends are leaning towards traveling to Phan Thiet due to its reasonable costs and convenient transportation. Since airfare prices are high, they plan to travel by road to save money and have the freedom to visit their preferred destinations.

Travel agencies have increased the prices of tours on April 30 and May 1 by 10-20% due to increased input costs such as airfare, additional services, and fuel prices. Air ticket prices have increased significantly since the beginning of March, especially during holidays when people's travel needs are high. For example, air tickets from Can Tho to destinations like Da Nang and Hanoi in April can cost between 1.8-2 million VND/person/one way.

The higher domestic air ticket prices will result in a surge in the cost of domestic tours by several million VND, depending on the itinerary and destination. As a result, tourists who can afford longer trips are opting for tours abroad.

Hoang Thi Minh Thu, residing in Ninh Kieu district, shared her experience of choosing between a domestic and an international tour for a 4-day, 5-night trip. She opted for a tour to Singapore - Malaysia despite the higher cost of more than ten million for an international tour to two countries, which was almost equivalent to the price of tours to the Northern region in Vietnam. She booked an international tour as per her family's preference.

According to travel agencies, the outbound market (taking tourists to travel abroad) has been performing better than the domestic market for the last one to two years. This year's holiday tours have seen 60-70% of tours sold in the outbound market, with a focus on markets such as Thailand, Dubai, Korea, Japan, Europe, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, and China. The travel agencies explain the customers' choices by pointing out that tour prices in these markets have been stable for many years, and any increase has been only slight. Moreover, March and April are often suitable to see beautiful flower seasons in Japan, and Korea or festivals in Thailand, China, and other countries. Also, many countries such as Thailand, Korea, and Japan have very good policies to welcome tourists.

To boost tourism demand during this year's holiday season, many airlines have launched promotional programs. Vietnam Airlines has announced a promotional airfare program for domestic flights starting at only 69,000 VND (excluding taxes and fees) and for international round-trip flights from 49 USD (excluding taxes and fees). Bamboo Airways has also updated ticket prices for many international flights starting at 5 USD (excluding taxes and fees) per way, and many domestic flights starting at 26,000 VND (excluding taxes and fees). Vietjet Air has reopened many international flights and is offering tickets starting at only 959,000 VND per flight (excluding taxes and fees), while domestic flights start at 49,000 VND per flight. However, it is not easy to find tickets at the desired prices. Bui Quang Thang from Ninh Kieu district shared his experience: “I spent time looking for tickets, but in reality, it was not as expected. When I searched on platforms and websites, the cheap tickets were already sold out. Instead of hunting for tickets like every year, this year my group of friends and I decided to hit the road and drive ourselves. The highways have come into operation and it is more convenient for us to choose a destination that does not depend on the plane. The cost of traveling this way is calculated to be much cheaper."

Travel companies also assess the increasing trend of tourists choosing road tours to avoid flights. Many people have proactively planned short-distance trips by car, train, motorbike... to reduce costs. Accordingly, combos of accommodation and restaurant services are also more popular. Some destinations that are of great interest today are Da Nang, Da Lat, Phu Quoc, Hue, Nha Trang, Hon Son, Nam Du, Phan Thiet, Vung Tau... Le Thi My Nuong from Cai Rang district, said: “This time the vacation was short, so we chose to go to Nam Du on our own. We consulted some people's experiences from social networks and selected services. Staying in Nam Du for only 2 days with a budget of about 1.2 million VND/person, I think is reasonable." This year, holidays are short and airfare prices are high, so many people also tend to choose to travel closer to home. Mr. Tran Van Hieu (Ninh Kieu district), said: “After all, we only have 2 days off, so my family has no plans to go far, mainly going to a few places in the city. We plan to find an ecological area or resort near home to have fun and relax. This will save money and give you enough rest time.”