Among the most in-demand offerings are short tours, which continue to sell out rapidly, signaling a vibrant end-of-summer travel season ahead of the new academic year.
Strong investment in short tours
In Ho Chi Minh City, the atmosphere is steadily building ahead of the National Day holiday. Central streets are adorned with vibrant golden star red flags, while Nguyen Hue Walking Street shimmers with festive lights in celebration of the country's most important holiday.
A wide range of cultural and entertainment events, including art performances, culinary festivals, fireworks displays, and 3D mapping light shows, are being meticulously prepared, promising vibrant and captivating nights of celebration. Major destinations across the city are launching a host of engaging activities.
At Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, visitors will enjoy free admission from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. between August 28 and September 2. The zoo will host the special event called “Joyful Independence Day—A National Gathering,” featuring 50 display booths that recreate the traditional cultures of Vietnam’s three regions. The program includes folk games, street performances, and hands-on experiences such as pottery making, mat weaving, and rice milling. Visitors will also be treated to musical performances, magic shows, and more.
For the first time, Suoi Tien Theme Park will open its doors for nighttime festivities, from August 29 to September 2, offering a dazzling entertainment experience featuring Fire Dance, DJ sets, and LED dance performances.
The highlight of the program is the water stage show themed “Spirit of the Dragon and Fairy—The Rising Era,” held at 6 p.m. on Lac Canh Lake. This large-scale production celebrates the resilience and spirit of the Vietnamese people through a combination of music, cutting-edge technology, and performances by hundreds of actors.
Adding to the festive atmosphere is the grand parade, “30 Years of Journey—The Fairy Tale of Suoi Tien.”
Several travel agencies have also launched new products ahead of the holiday. Vietluxtour is offering more than 10 unique tours, such as “Biet Dong Sai Gon” (Saigon Rangers), “The Colors of the Night,” and “Saigon in the Past and Present,” with group discounts starting from 15 percent. Meanwhile, Vietravel continues to offer complimentary walking tours for visitors to Ho Chi Minh City.
In addition, the Ben Thanh–Suoi Tien metro line will operate at increased capacity during the National Day holiday, with up to 264 trips per day on the peak dates of September 1 and 2. Service hours will also be extended until 11 p.m. to accommodate passenger demand.
Extra flights scheduled to meet rising holiday demand
At present, airfare from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, where military parades and ceremonies will be held to mark the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (on September 2), remains relatively affordable, averaging between VND1.8 million (US$68) and VND2 million (US$76) per person, depending on the airline.
According to tour operators such as Saigontourist and BenThanh Tourist, customer interest, particularly among overseas Vietnamese travelers from countries like the United States, Germany, and Australia, has risen noticeably. Many of these visitors are booking extended tours that include popular routes such as Hanoi–Ninh Binh–Trang An and Hanoi–Ha Long, with opportunities to enjoy large-scale cultural and artistic performances.
Vietnam Airlines will significantly increase flight frequencies during the six peak days from August 29 to September 3, offering approximately 600,000 seats across its entire network, nearly 2,900 flights, representing an increase of more than 100,000 seats compared to the same period last year.
On the domestic flight network, the carrier is focusing on boosting frequencies on key routes connecting Hanoi with Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, as well as between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Cam Ranh, Da Lat, and Hue. The international routes experiencing the largest increases in flights include connections between Vietnam and India, China, Thailand, and Australia.
Currently, occupancy rates on domestic air routes exceed 60 percent, with expectations for continued rapid growth in the coming days. For international routes, the occupancy rate stands at approximately 70 percent.
Vietjet Air will add around 10,000 seats, equivalent to nearly 50 additional flights, during the four-day holiday period. These extra flights will primarily operate on routes connecting Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, and Hue.
The airline is also offering a 29 percent discount on hot meals and souvenir items from August 18 to September 2 for passengers wearing red shirts featuring the yellow star flag or designs commemorating the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day.
For international flights to destinations including Australia, India, China, South Korea, Thailand, and Singapore, passengers traveling between September 15 and December 15 will receive an additional 20 kg of free checked baggage allowance.
According to Tan Son Nhat International Airport, the number of passengers and flights is expected to surge during this year’s National Day holiday. The airport anticipates handling an average of approximately 730 flights daily, including 430 domestic and 300 international, serving around 125,000 passengers each day, including 75,000 domestic and 50,000 international travelers.
On the peak days of August 30 (domestic departures) and September 2 (domestic arrivals), flight numbers could reach up to 750 with 130,000 passengers per day, marking a record high for the holiday period.
The airport has completed the transfer of all domestic flights to Terminal 3. Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, Vasco, Bamboo Airways, and Vietravel Airlines have fully relocated their operations to Terminal 3, while Vietjet Air continues to operate from Terminal 1.
To facilitate a smoother check-in process during the peak travel season, Vietnam Airlines recommends passengers use self-check-in procedures before their flights to save time. These include check-in via the airline’s website, mobile app, or self-service kiosks at the airport. Passengers can also utilize the electronic check-in and verification processes, as well as the biometric identification system using the VNeID app.
Ho Chi Minh City plans to develop new tourism products
On August 26 and 27, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism conducted surveys and assessments of local destinations as part of efforts to develop distinctive tourism products within newly merged administrative areas.
The delegation visited several notable sites linked to industrial tourism and traditional crafts, including the Minh Long Ceramics Museum, the Yakult dairy factory, the lacquerware craft village Binh Chau–Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve, the Suoi Rao Ecolodge tourist site—the first carbon-neutral destination in Ba Ria–Vung Tau, the Loc An No-Number Naval Ship Relic, and a flight simulation experience at the training center of Vietnam Helicopter Corporation.
The program focused on discussing the strategic development of 15 new tourism products, grouped into five key categories, including green and sustainable tourism, cultural and historical tourism, urban and shopping tourism, island and luxury resort tourism, and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourism.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the city’s tourism sector is currently working with businesses to develop themed travel products aimed at repositioning the city's tourism brand and enhancing destination marketing. Notable themes include “From the City to the Sea via the River,” which connects urban culture, festivals, eco-tourism, and coastal retreats; “Holiday Road,” offering a leisure journey from the city to riverside and seaside getaways; and “Marine Culture,” which links Can Gio with Vung Tau.
With the unique advantage of being both a modern metropolis and a gateway where rivers, sea, and forest converge, Ho Chi Minh City is seizing a “golden moment” to assert its position as a leading tourism destination in Southeast Asia. Leveraging the national visa exemption policy and a series of tourism stimulus programs, the city aims to attract 10 million international visitors and 50 million domestic travelers by the end of 2025.
Ms. Doan Thi Thanh Tra, Deputy General Director of Saigontourist Holding Company, said that while Ho Chi Minh City previously focused heavily on river tourism, it is now poised to offer a more diverse range of experiences across various types of destinations. For Saigontourist, the mission goes beyond simply bringing visitors to the city; it also contributes to the development of Ho Chi Minh City's brand as a prominent destination on the international tourism map. The company has outlined plans to recalibrate its communications strategy and reposition the city’s image through 2026, aiming to make it more appealing to inbound travelers. This represents a major opportunity to elevate Ho Chi Minh City into a destination that is not only modern but also rich in cultural identity, with the competitiveness to stand out in the regional market.
