Many intercity coach services in Vietnam have reported sold-out departures ahead of the National Day holiday on September 2, with transport operators preparing additional services to meet surging demand.
Travel demand has been concentrated on August 28 and August 29, the final working day before the holiday and the first day of the break, prompting a rush for tickets on routes linking Hanoi with northern and central provinces.
Bus station operators said passenger numbers are expected to increase by between 150 and 160 per cent compared with normal days during the holiday peak.
On the Hanoi-Son La route, Hai Van Bus Company reported that virtually all sleeper berths for August 28 and August 29 had been sold. All 19 scheduled departures on August 28 were fully booked. The company added three extra services for August 29, bringing the total to 22 departures, but those additional seats were also sold out.
Demand on the route is expected to ease from August 30 onwards, with more seats becoming available during the remainder of the holiday period.
A similar pattern has emerged on the Hanoi-Dien Bien route. All nine daily departures on August 28 and August 29 were fully booked in advance. By contrast, operators reported ample seat availability on August 30. Ticket prices on the route range from VND 450,000 (USD 17.2) to VND 680,000 (USD 26.0).
The Hanoi-Sapa route has remained less constrained, despite strong holiday demand. Transport companies attributed the situation to the large number of operators serving the route, giving travellers a wider range of options.
Do Van Bang, a representative of Sao Viet Bus Company, said the operator scheduled 27 departures from Hanoi to Sapa on August 28. Of those, 17 services, mainly late afternoon and evening departures, had already sold out, while 10 daytime services still had seats available. Tickets for the company's 21-berth cabin buses start at VND 450,000 (USD 17.2).
For August 29, Sao Viet plans to operate 38 departures. Seventeen services had already sold out, particularly during early morning, midday and late-night periods, while the remaining departures had only one to five berths available per trip.
The company expects demand to moderate after August 30 and will continue operating more than 30 services per day, with significantly greater seat availability.
Routes linking Hanoi with central Vietnam have also experienced strong demand. Van Minh Bus Company scheduled 70 departures between Hanoi and Nghe An Province on August 28, with most services fully booked. Only 11 departures still had tickets available, generally between one and three seats per coach.
On the Hanoi-Ha Tinh route, only five of 41 departures on August 28 still had available tickets, with just a handful of seats remaining on each service. Availability was slightly better on August 29, although seats remained limited.
Tran Manh Ha, deputy director of Giap Bat Bus Station, said passenger traffic was expected to peak on August 28 and August 29 as travellers begin their National Day holiday journeys.
Nguyen Van Lap, director of Nuoc Ngam Bus Station, said the station had developed detailed operating plans to accommodate the expected increase in demand and support transport companies during the holiday period.
According to Lap, the busiest routes are expected to be those serving Haiphong, Thanh Hoa Province, Nghe An Province, Ha Tinh Province and Danang City.
Transport operators have been instructed to prepare contingency plans and stand ready to add extra services if passenger numbers exceed forecasts during the holiday rush.