With travel demand expected to surge during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday of the Year of the Horse 2026, particularly in Southern Vietnam, the railway sector has rolled out plans to operate additional train services to meet rising demand for homebound travel and early-year tourism.
Vietnam Railway Transport Joint Stock Company said on December 23 that passenger volumes during Tet 2026 are projected to rise year on year, prompting the addition of 11 short-haul train services in the Southern region and about 5,500 extra seats for travelers.
Under the plan, extra services will run from Saigon Station to the Central provinces and back during peak days before, during, and after Tet. These include train D2 (Saigon–Da Nang), departing at 10:55 a.m. on February 15, 2026; train STK2 (Saigon–Tam Ky) at 3:30 p.m. the same day; and trains SNT4 and SNT6 (Saigon–Nha Trang) operating on the first and second days of the Lunar New Year (February 17 and 18). Return services, such as SNT3 (Nha Trang–Saigon), D1 (Da Nang–Saigon), and STK1 (Tam Ky–Saigon), will serve passengers heading back to the city after the holiday.
According to railway officials, the Tet 2026 transport plan will run from February 3 to March 8. During this period, 55 trains will be operated, using more than 800 carriages and offering approximately 335,000 through tickets nationwide.
Tickets for Tet 2026 went on sale on September 20, 2025. As of December 22, more than 140,000 tickets had been sold, equivalent to about 62 percent of sales during the same period for Tet 2025. Online sales continued to dominate, accounting for 67 percent of total tickets sold, while 33 percent were purchased directly at stations.
The railway sector noted that a sizable number of tickets remain available. Before Tet, from February 3 to 9 and from February 14 to 16, seats are still available on services from Southern stations to Vinh, Thanh Hoa, and Hanoi. Even during peak days from February 10 to 14, around 700 through seats remain from Saigon, Di An, and Bien Hoa to Northern destinations.
Passengers are advised to monitor official channels and book early to secure suitable schedules during the Tet travel peak.
