Railway Transport JSC said it had sold about 150,000 tickets out of 1.5 million seats available for travel between May 15 and August 16 after three weeks of sales.
Summer fares this year are 5-10 per cent higher than in 2025, depending on train category and travel distance, due to higher fuel costs, the company said, adding the adjustment was needed to maintain financial balance and service quality.
During the summer peak, the railway sector will operate five pairs of daily North-South reunification trains SE1/2, SE3/4, SE5/6, SE7/8 and SE9/10 and is considering adding SE11/12.
It will also maintain seven pairs of regional services on routes linking Hanoi with Vinh and Danang, Ho Chi Minh City with Danang, Nha Trang and Phan Thiet, and Hue with Danang.
An additional four pairs of weekend trains will be deployed on the Ho Chi Minh City-Quy Nhon, Nha Trang-Danang and Hanoi-Dong Hoi routes.
From May 1, the railway operator began rolling out flexible pricing on its e-ticketing platform, using artificial intelligence to analyse booking data and automatically reduce fares for unsold short-haul segments after long-distance tickets have been sold.
Discounts range from 15-35 per cent, depending on seat availability. In a one-week pilot from April 22 to 29, the system sold 9,376 tickets and generated direct savings of VND 523 million (USD 20,100) for passengers.
In addition to demand-based pricing, the railway continues to offer discounts for early bookings.
Passengers purchasing tickets at least 20 days in advance receive discounts of 5-10 per cent on selected long-distance services, while eligible social policy beneficiaries booking at least 40 days ahead remain entitled to preferential fares.
By contrast, tickets bought within 48 hours of departure are subject to surcharges of 7 per cent for journeys under 1,000 km and 5 per cent for longer routes.
The railway sector also maintains preferential fares for policy beneficiaries, including heroic Vietnamese mothers, war veterans, wounded soldiers, the elderly, students and children, alongside return-trip, group and advance-purchase discount programmes.