Many tourists tend to take short vacations at coastal places during the September 2nd holiday - Photo: C.TRUNG
From bus stations to airports, from highways to self-driving car rental applications, the transportation scene becomes vibrant and bustling.
All kinds of travel for the September 2nd holiday
In travel groups, there are people willing to spend tens of millions of dong to fly to Hanoi, but there are also passengers who choose cars or trains to suit their budget or rent a car to drive themselves to be proactive with their schedule. With the same destination of a meaningful vacation, each family calculates a different "travel problem".
Ms. Nguyen Thanh Hang (Binh Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said that at the beginning of June 2025, she booked round-trip tickets for all four family members to Hanoi . At that time, tickets were more than 4.5 million VND/person, a total of nearly 20 million. "My friends told me to take a risk because there were still three months left until the holiday, but I thought differently, the closer the date, the more expensive the tickets were. It's true, now it's 6-7 million VND/person, luckily I booked early," Ms. Hang said.
Nguyen Van Thien (Lai Thieu Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) even canceled his booked tour to Thailand and switched to Hanoi, accepting an additional cost of nearly 20 million VND. "We want our children to grow up with memories of a special vacation rather than a shopping trip abroad," Thien shared.
The fever of air tickets, hotel rooms and tours has made the tourism market for the September 2nd holiday hotter day by day. Many families are willing to spend double or even triple the amount of money compared to normal days in exchange for a memorable vacation.
But not everyone chooses to fly. For example, the family of Mr. Nguyen Quang Hoai (Binh Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) rented a seven-seat Xpander for the whole family of five to go to Da Lat. "If we fly, the ticket alone will cost nearly 25 million. Renting a car for four days will cost 4.5 million, plus gas and road fees, it will be less than 7 million. It is both economical and proactive," Mr. Hoai calculated.
Air cargo overload, road traffic divided
Vietnam Airlines announced that in just six peak days from August 29 to September 3, the airline added more than 100,000 seats, increasing the total supply to nearly 600,000 seats with about 2,900 flights from various places to Hanoi and vice versa. However, round-trip tickets from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi are still popular at 4.3 - 7 million VND/person, and many good time slots have been "sold out".
Therefore, bus companies have quickly "shared the burden" with airlines by keeping prices low and fighting against "illegal buses".
In Ho Chi Minh City, major bus stations are entering peak service season. The new Eastern Bus Station is expected to receive nearly 54,000 passengers, an increase of 27% compared to the same period in 2024; the number of vehicles will increase by 18%. The Western Bus Station forecasts that the peak on August 30 can reach 65,000 passengers with more than 2,200 vehicles departing.
The general policy is to keep prices stable. If adjustments are needed, the increase will not exceed 40% and will only apply on August 29 and 30.
Mr. Do Phu Dat, deputy director of the old Mien Dong bus station, affirmed that the biggest challenge is not the lack of vehicles but market discipline. "We will tighten inspections, advise passengers to buy tickets at the station to ensure their rights, and coordinate to handle illegal vehicles, illegal stations, and disguised contract vehicles that pick up and drop off passengers outside the station," Mr. Dat said.
Mien Tay Bus Station also made a service plan from the beginning of August, arranging staff on duty 24/7, coordinating with the police and traffic inspectors to direct traffic and quickly handle congestion when it occurs.
Along with passenger cars, self-drive car rental services also exploded during this holiday. Many self-drive car rental establishments in Ho Chi Minh City said they were fully booked half a month ago. The common rental price for class A cars such as Fadil, i10 is about 500,000 VND/day; popular sedans such as Vios, City, Accent 700,000 VND/day; seven-seat cars such as Xpander, Innova, Veloz from 1-1.2 million VND/day.
Most car rental companies require full rentals for all four holidays, and rarely rent for just 2-3 days as usual. Nguyen Quang, the owner of a business with more than 30 cars for rent, said customers booked earlier this year and preferred seven-seat cars. Since mid-August, all cars have been sold out.
Passengers traveling at Tan Son Nhat airport - Photo: QUANG DINH
24/7 on duty
Mr. To Tu Ha, Director of Noi Bai International Airport, emphasized that the airport will increase 24/7 duty shifts, coordinate aircraft parking at neighboring airports, and increase human resources at the screening and baggage claim stages to reduce congestion during the September 2 holiday. At the same time, the Ministry of Public Security also raised aviation security to level 1 from August 26 to September 4.
Airlines recommend passengers to check-in online, using biometric authentication on VneID to shorten the time. Meanwhile, Mien Tay bus station maintains ticket sales from 5am to 9pm, while businesses sell tickets 24/7, announce hotlines and coordinate with functional forces to fight illegal buses and bus stations.
Commenting on travel during the holidays this year, economic experts assess that three travel options including airplanes, buses, and self-driving cars are creating a balance of supply and demand. Each segment has its strengths, such as airplanes are fast but expensive. Buses are cheap and have frequent trips, while self-driving cars optimize costs per person and allow flexible stops. This helps reduce pressure on traffic infrastructure during peak holiday periods.
To prevent each long holiday from becoming a race for tickets, according to experts, it is necessary to invest synchronously in expanding aviation infrastructure, perfecting the highway network, increasing parking capacity and tightening discipline in the passenger transport market. At the same time, encourage transparent and safe car rental services to legalize actual needs.
"This September 2nd holiday is a test of the capacity of the transport infrastructure and the coordination capacity of the transport industry. If we pass, we will have more real data to plan long-term policies. The problem is not only to increase trips but also to increase the capacity of the entire system so that each passenger can choose the appropriate means of transport and still enjoy the holiday with peace of mind," said a transport expert.
Identify traffic jams
Experts predict that congestion during the holiday will mainly be concentrated on the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway (Long Phuoc section), Cat Lai ferry, Truong Son - Cong Hoa axis around Tan Son Nhat airport and National Highway 1 to the west. Ho Chi Minh City requires increased surveillance via cameras, remote traffic flow and deployment of rapid response teams to promptly handle incidents and avoid traffic jams.
The new Eastern Bus Station also recommends alternative routes when the national highway in front of the station is congested: New Eastern Bus Station - Road 11 - Nguyen Xien - Nguyen Duy Trinh - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway - provinces from Dong Nai to the North. At the same time, passengers are advised to travel during off-peak hours and update the traffic situation in real time on the digital map to avoid familiar congestion points.
Airlines expect revenue to surge during holiday season
Vietnam Airports Corporation (ACV, stock code ACV) currently has 22 affiliated airport branches, covering the airport network across the country, serving both domestic and international flights. Among them, the busiest airports include: Tan Son Nhat (HCMC), Noi Bai (Hanoi), Da Nang, Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa), Phu Quoc (Kien Giang) and Lien Khuong (Lam Dong).
In particular, the September 2nd holiday is expected to create an explosive demand for travel. Noi Bai Airport alone can serve nearly 110,000 passengers and 638 flights on the peak day, about 20% higher than the same period last year. In addition, many domestic and international passengers will also flock to many other localities to participate in the festival and explore Vietnam tourism.
Regarding the business picture, according to the consolidated financial report, in the first half of 2025, ACV recorded nearly VND 12,730 billion in revenue, an increase of about 14% over the same period last year. After deducting cost of goods sold and expenses, net profit reached more than VND 5,720 billion, a slight decrease.
The bright spot is that the total assets of this enterprise have exceeded 82,800 billion VND and the equity has reached more than 64,000 billion VND, both increasing approximately 7% compared to the beginning of the year. Equity is 3.4 times higher than the liabilities.
With the economic outlook for the second half of the year, especially the peak tourist season associated with many major events and festivals, ACV's business activities also benefit greatly.
Mr. Uong Viet Dung - Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam - said that by the end of 2025, the country's air transport output is expected to reach 84.1 million passengers and 1.4 million tons of cargo, up 6.3% and 7.6% respectively compared to 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic).
Strive to have airport capacity reach 300 million passengers by 2030, equivalent to an increase of 2.5 times compared to this year.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/di-lai-dip-le-2-9-may-bay-kho-da-co-xe-do-xe-tu-lai-20250819232119024.htm
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