There is high demand for direct flights from Hanoi to Con Dao. Illustrative photo.
Since April 2024, when Bamboo Airways, the only airline operating direct flights between Hanoi and Con Dao, announced the suspension of this route, passengers have had to endure higher costs and more complex journeys with multiple connections. At some points, round-trip fares reached up to VND15 million per passenger.
Therefore, the news that Vietjet will officially operate direct flights from Hanoi to Con Dao starting April 19 has garnered great attention.
According to a report by Dantri/Dtinews, the round-trip ticket price for direct flights between Hanoi and Con Dao ranges from VND8.5 to VND9.8 million. The route will operate with two flights per day.
On the first day of ticket sales, April 15, many flights quickly sold out in both economy and business class.
A representative from a travel agency in Hanoi stated that the launch of this direct flight gives passengers more options and saves them from the hassle of connecting through HCM City or using other forms of transport. However, the airfare remains very high.
“For the next two months, tickets on this route are still priced from VND8.5 to nearly VND10 million,” the representative confirmed.
Commenting on the situation, Ho Thanh Chuong from Flamingo Redtours said that with the current airfare levels, a 3-day-2-night tour to Con Dao cannot cost less than VND12-13 million per person.
“Before April 2024, round-trip airfares between Hanoi and Con Dao were only about VND5 million per person. So we were able to design full-package 3-day-2-night tours priced between VND7.5-8 million, which attracted many customers,” he shared.
“We hope that as the route stabilises, ticket prices will cool down. Otherwise, if tour packages to Con Dao remain over VND12 million, domestic travellers may opt for other destinations such as tours to Southeast Asia or South Korea.”
Ngoc Cuong, Director of Sales and Communications at The Secret Con Dao Hotel, shared a similar concern: “If airfares remain uncompetitive, Con Dao tourism will continue to face disadvantages compared to many domestic destinations, not to mention international ones.”