Starting at 8 a.m. on October 6, 2024, Vietnam Railways officially opened ticket sales for the 2025 Lunar New Year (Year of the Snake) trains. On the first day alone, Saigon Railway Station estimated that over 35,000 tickets were sold. This year, the railway sector plans to operate 388 train trips, providing 167,000 seats in total, with ticket prices increasing compared to the previous year.
At exactly 8 a.m., many passengers were prepared to book tickets online via the Vietnam Railways website and several mobile apps. Due to high demand, tickets sold out quickly, and some passengers reported that certain routes were already sold out when they accessed the website.
Within two hours of opening, by around 10 a.m. on October 6, a representative from Saigon Railway Station announced that more than 26,000 tickets had been sold. By 3 p.m. the same day, over 35,000 tickets had been sold, with more than 22,000 purchased online and approximately 13,000 bought in person.
At around 6 a.m., a large crowd had already gathered at Saigon Railway Station to buy tickets directly. As the first day of sales fell on a weekend, many people took advantage of the opportunity to visit the station in person to secure their tickets.
Tran Hung, a resident of Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, shared that he queues at Saigon Station every year to buy tickets early. This year, he bought six round-trip tickets for his family of three to travel back to their hometown in Hue.
Similarly, Do Thi Hang from Thu Duc City explained that, due to her age and unfamiliarity with online booking, she and her husband opted to go to the station to buy tickets directly for their journey to Da Nang.
Several passengers remarked that the ticket purchasing process was smooth and efficient, as the station had staff positioned in different areas to assist customers. By around 3 p.m., the crowd at the station had noticeably diminished, and the waiting area was much more spacious, with fewer people at the information desks and ticket counters compared to earlier in the day.
Mr. Thai Van Truyen, Chief Executive Officer of Saigon Railway Transport JSC, stated that for the 2025 Lunar New Year, the railway service expects to operate 388 train trips, providing 167,000 seats, a reduction of two trips and 38,000 seats compared to 2024, as no auxiliary seats are being sold, and no extra carriages have been added. However, if demand increases, additional trains will be scheduled before and after peak travel days to meet passenger needs.
Train ticket prices this year have risen by an average of 4 percent to 5 percent compared to the same period last year. During the peak travel period (January 21, 2025, to January 27, 2025), the highest ticket price for the Saigon-Hanoi route on train SE2 is for a first-level berth in a four-bed compartment in the middle of the carriage, costing over VND3 million per ticket. A two-bed compartment is priced at around VND6.4 million per ticket, while the lowest fare, for a soft seat on train TN4/6, is over VND2 million per ticket.
In addition to the nine pairs of Thong Nhat trains running the Saigon-Hanoi route and 13 pairs serving shorter routes, the railway industry will run extra trains between Saigon and destinations such as Da Nang, Tam Ky, Dieu Tri, and Nha Trang, and vice versa, to accommodate travelers during the festive season (from January 28, 2025, to January 31, 2025).
Saigon Station also announced that starting October 7, Tet tickets will be available for purchase daily from 7 a.m., allowing passengers to buy their tickets early.
Train tickets are now available through a variety of channels, including the websites www.dsvn.vn, vetau.com.vn, and giare.vetau.vn; railway stations, ticket offices, and authorized agents; mobile e-wallet apps such as Momo, VNPay, ZaloPay, and ViettelPay; mobile ticketing apps; and hotlines for ticket sales at 19001520 (Saigon) and 19000109 (Hanoi).
During the peak travel period for the 2025 Lunar New Year, several ticket discount policies will be available for passengers.
Specifically, a 3 percent discount on tickets for trains departing from Saigon Station on January 27, 2025, for journeys of 1,000 km or more.
Group discounts ranging from 2 percent to 8 percent for bookings of 11 or more passengers, valid for travel between January 15, 2025, and January 20, 2025.
A 5 percent discount on return tickets for passengers purchasing round-trip tickets. A 20 percent discount for students traveling between January 15, 2025, and January 21, 2025.
Tour guides will receive a 50 percent discount during this period and a 10 percent discount at other times.
