Tour companies set for Independence Day bonanza

With Independence Day falling on a Friday and offering the last chance for a vacation for students before the new school year begins, Ho Chi Minh City travel agencies have been selling lots of tour packages.

The holiday falls on September 2 while schools reopen Monday.

Vietravel said it had achieved 85 percent of its sales target for the three-day holiday, adding there were 2,000 customers for domestic tours and 2,500 for outbound ones.

Some tour operators have managed to sell out by offering discounts.

Tran The Dung, deputy director of The He Tre travel agency, said his company’s tours to Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Da Lat, and northern and central regions were fully booked.
Booking for trips to Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia had also been closed, he said.

Da Lat, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Hue, and Da Nang remained the top domestic destinations, he added.

The country’s top tour operator, Saigontourist, offered 100 different domestic and overseas tours for the occasion.

Besides its normal tours, it also rolled out adventure packages to the mountainous regions in the north and to Can Tho, Chau Doc, and Ha Tien in the south. Short trips to South Korea, China, Thailand, Brunei, Singapore, Cambodia, and Malaysia are also available.

Bus and train operators in Ho Chi Minh City are also offering additional services to cope with the demand that usually soars during holidays.

Mien Dong Bus Station said it would increase the number of buses by 31 percent, with around 1,500 vehicles carrying an estimated 34,000 passengers on September 1 alone.

Saigon Railway Station will add three more trains on the HCMC-Nha Trang route and one to Quy Nhon.

The HCMC public transport control center will add 1,125 trips to the 16 local bus routes passing through coach stations and theme parks between September 2 and 4. – Tuoitre

Tags: Vietnam Tourism