Tet is the most important event in Vietnam’s cultural calendar, triggering the country’s largest annual surge in mobility and consumer spending. Travel demand during this period is highly concentrated, with elevated airfares, compressed booking windows, and intensified competition across airlines, tour operators, and accommodation providers.
Against this peak-season backdrop, Vietnamese international travel demand is expanding. In February 2026 (Tet period), 34% of Vietnamese respondents indicate an intention to travel internationally, compared to 26% during Tet 2025. The eight-percentage-point increase year-on-year reflects stronger outbound appetite despite the structural pressures typical of this high-demand window.
Data from Outbox’s Vietnam Travel Market Monthly Tracker highlights three defining characteristics shaping Vietnamese international travel behavior during Tet 2026.
1. Organized Travel Formats Outperform Self-Planned Trips
Despite the global trend toward independent travel (FIT), the Vietnamese market is moving in the opposite direction for the 2026 holiday season. The data reveals that 37% of international travelers prefer all-inclusive package tours, compared to 23% who plan to organize their own trips.
This inclination toward structured products is closely linked to the operational realities of Tet. Departure dates are concentrated within a short window, airports are crowded, and flight or hotel changes are harder to manage. In this environment, separate bookings can increase stress and uncertainty. Package tours bring flights, hotels, transfers, and itineraries under one booking structure, making the overall trip easier to manage during a high-pressure travel period.
Moreover, travel composition further reinforces this preference. During Tet, 42% of Vietnamese international travelers travel with multi-generational family groups. Coordinating schedules, room configurations, meal preferences, and activity pacing across age segments increases planning complexity. Structured tour formats streamline these variables, offering centralized management and clearer cost visibility for larger groups.
2. International Travelers During Tet Skew Toward High Spending
Among those planning international trips, 41% expect to spend over 40 million VND for their trips.
This concentration at the higher end of the spending spectrum indicates that outbound travelers during Tet form a premium segment. International travel during this period competes directly with other major holiday expenditures, yet a substantial share of respondents still allocates significant budgets to overseas trips.
Rather than signaling price sensitivity, the data points to financial readiness and willingness to commit substantial resources to international travel experiences during a compressed holiday window. For industry stakeholders, this spending profile supports positioning strategies centered on value depth, service assurance, and experience quality rather than price compression.
3. Upper-Tier Hotels Dominate Accommodation Preferences
Accommodation preferences further reinforce the premium profile of Tet outbound travelers. 35% of surveyed Vietnamese favor 4–5-star hotels — the highest proportion among all accommodation types.
The prominence of this segment indicates a strong inclination toward standardized service, established brand reputation, and comprehensive on-site facilities. Upper-tier hotels typically offer integrated amenities, professional service delivery, and centrally located properties, which contribute to a more structured and seamless travel experience.
Hotel selection, in this context, appears to function as a core component of trip design rather than a secondary budget item. The alignment between higher overall trip spending and preference for 4–5 star accommodation suggests that comfort, service quality, and reliability are prioritized within international travel planning.
The Tet 2026 data presents a coherent outbound profile: higher participation compared to the previous year, strong concentration in high spending brackets, structured travel planning, and preference for established accommodation standards.
For destinations, airlines, hotel groups, and tour operators, competitiveness will depend on premium positioning, bundled clarity, and delivery reliability aligned with the expectations of a high-spending outbound segment.
The Vietnam Travel Market Monthly Tracker (VTMMT) by The Outbox Company provides the industry’s most comprehensive data on Vietnamese traveler behaviors. Designed for tourism boards, airlines, and global travel brands, the VTMMT delivers the actionable market intelligence needed to optimize strategic planning and product development. Contact The Outbox Company today to access the latest travel insights and lead the market in the year ahead.
