September 2nd holiday tour: Overseas Vietnamese bustling back home, 'national concert' sold out

Although it is the peak summer tourist season, the market for September 2nd holiday tours through major travel agencies in Ho Chi Minh City has started to become bustling very early. In particular, tours to Hanoi combined with watching the parade and march on the occasion of the 80th National Day anniversary are attracting strong interest, especially from overseas Vietnamese tourists. Many tours have had to expand their plans to welcome twice as many guests as expected.

Historical tours in Ho Chi Minh City are attracting many tourists.

September 2nd holiday creates momentum for Hanoi tourism

The 80th anniversary of National Day, September 2nd, is being held on a large scale in Hanoi, promising many impressive parades and marches, and this place has also become the center of attraction for domestic and foreign tourists. Although there is still nearly a month left until the holiday, the number of customers booking tours to Hanoi and the northern provinces has increased sharply, creating an unprecedented fever for this type of tour associated with the event.

According to the major travel agencies in Ho Chi Minh City such as Saigontourist , BenThanh Tourist, Viet Travel, Vietluxtour... the atmosphere of preparation for the National Day tour season is very exciting. It is worth noting that despite being in the middle of the peak summer tourist season, these agencies have quickly launched a series of new products for the 4-day holiday, in which the highlight is the Hanoi itinerary.

According to Ms. Doan Thi Thanh Tra, Deputy General Director of Saigontourist Travel Service Company Limited, the September 2 tour program this year has added a highlight of a military parade in Hanoi, forcing the original plan to be expanded twice to meet the sudden increase in demand from customers.

“We have noted that the number of overseas Vietnamese returning to the country registering for tours combined with watching the parade is very large. For this tour alone, up to 80% are overseas Vietnamese from countries such as Australia, Germany, the US, etc. They often travel with their families and relatives, creating an unprecedented wave of early registration. The A80 event (80th National Day) has helped the northern tour market to ‘heat up’ visibly,” Ms. Doan Thanh Tra added.

Similarly, Ms. Tran Phuong Linh, Marketing and Information Technology Director of BenThanh Tourist Company, said that the company has planned to launch more than 30 domestic and international tour programs to serve the holiday. Notable among them are two special routes with the theme "National Concert", including Hanoi - Ninh Binh - Trang An and Hanoi - Ha Long. Each trip lasts 4 days, including 2 nights in Hanoi so that visitors can fully enjoy the autumn atmosphere of Hanoi and participate in the parade. Although purchasing power has not exploded, the number of visitors is increasing steadily, expected to accelerate from mid-August when the holiday is near", Ms. Linh said.

The attraction of parade tours, especially from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, is leading to a series of increased services, from air tickets to hotel rooms. It is noted that in early August, airfares for the Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi route from August 30 to September 2 have doubled, even tripled compared to normal days. However, the number of remaining tickets is very limited, mainly in less convenient time slots or with less popular airlines.

Students learn about the history of Saigon Special Forces at the Saigon - Gia Dinh Special Forces Museum.

Mr. Pham Anh Vu, Deputy General Director of Viet Tourism Media Joint Stock Company, said that booking air tickets and hotels during the holidays is currently a "difficult problem" not only for individual customers but also for travel companies. For Viet Tourism, short-term domestic tours are still the "main" during this time, especially routes to Hanoi and the Northeast - Northwest regions such as Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Moc Chau...

"Airfares from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi during the holiday have increased 2-3 times. Hotels in central Hanoi are also fully booked earlier than usual. This reflects the increased demand for travel to watch the parade. I recommend that visitors book early this week to secure a spot and keep a reasonable price," Mr. Vu shared.

Create a boost for the year-end market

According to travel companies, this year’s September 2nd holiday, tourists are divided into two main groups when choosing tours. The first group is those who love important events, looking for historical and political experiences, often choosing Hanoi and the northern mountainous region. The second group is tourists who want to relax, prioritizing coastal destinations such as Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Thanh Hoa to avoid crowds.

Along with the change in destination choices, the international tourism market has also seen notable fluctuations. Tensions at the Thai-Cambodian border have made many tourists hesitant and requested to postpone or cancel tours to these two countries. Instead, they have turned to other destinations such as Singapore, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, thanks to simple procedures and reasonable prices.

Although it is the peak of summer tourism, the heat from the September 2nd holiday market has become an important catalyst, opening up opportunities for a strong recovery for the tourism industry in the last months of the year. In particular, the event celebrating the 80th anniversary of National Day has created a positive "chain effect", promoting tourism services, especially in the Northern region. Tours to Hanoi, especially with the "national concert" event, are attracting strong interest from tourists, with many tours sold out.

Tours to Hanoi are hot following the sold-out "national concert" event.

Many travel companies expect that if the September 2nd tour goes smoothly, it will be an important stepping stone for the fall-winter tourist season, as well as major holidays such as Christmas and New Year. To take advantage of this time, many companies have begun planning for year-end tours, continuing to exploit the model of combining events, cultural experiences and resorts, similar to the success of the current Hanoi parade tour.

Ms. Doan Thi Thanh Tra shared: "The 80th National Day is not only an occasion to celebrate but also a driving force for the development of the tourism industry. We hope to take advantage of this time to create momentum for year-end business plans, when tourism demand continues to grow."

In addition, Ms. Tran Phuong Linh, Marketing and Information Technology Director of BenThanh Tourist, said that the company is surveying customer feedback on event-based tour packages to develop a long-term strategy. These tourism products are aimed at customers looking for deep cultural and historical experiences, different from traditional resort tours.

"Positive signals from the September 2nd parade tours - the "national concert" in the capital show that domestic tourism is witnessing a strong rise of symbolic and historical tours. Patriotism is aroused not only in domestic people but also in overseas Vietnamese returning to celebrate National Day, joining in the flow of history. This is a clear demonstration of the power of tourism connecting the community and patriotism in Vietnam", Ms. Tran Phuong Linh shared.

According to News and People Newspaper

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/tour-du-lich-le-2-9-viet-kieu-nhon-nhip-ve-nuoc-concert-quoc-gia-chay-ve-20250807081827728.htm