Flight bookings to Hà Nội for travel from October 23 to 26 were up 74 per cent year on year as BIGBANG's World Tour will be organised in Hà Nội that time. — Photo Courtesy of BIGBANG fanpage

HCM CITY — Vietnamese music fans are helping drive demand for flights and hotels as they travel to concerts at home and across the region, online travel platforms have reported.

A series of concerts is scheduled in Việt Nam and neighbouring countries towards the end of the year, including BIGBANG’s World Tour at Hà Nội’s Mỹ Đình National Stadium on October 24 and 25, and shows in HCM City by “Tình Hà Say Hi” and “Anh Trai Vượt Ngàn Chông Gai”. International events include The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn tour and BIGBANG’s World Tour.

Domestic concert travel

Trip.com’s latest concert tourism data show a sharp rise in domestic and cross-border travel among Vietnamese music fans.

Demand for concerts in Hà Nội and HCM City is particularly strong this October, the company said.

Travel demand for BIGBANG’s Hà Nội concerts rose after key announcements. The tour announcement on June 11 prompted an immediate increase in searches for travel during the concert period, while the presale launch on August 14 was followed by a larger spike in flight and hotel bookings—about six times the baseline, according to Trip.com.

Flight bookings to Hà Nội for travel from October 23 to 26 were up 74 per cent year on year, while passenger numbers rose 76 per cent compared with the same period in 2025. The concerts also contributed to a 45 per cent annual increase in demand for travel to Hà Nội in October.

Fans planned their trips well in advance. On average, flights were booked 70 days before departure, with 51 per cent of travellers booking more than 60 days ahead. Hotels were booked an average of 76 days in advance, and 65 per cent of guests made reservations more than 60 days before their stay.

Hotels within 3km of Mỹ Đình National Stadium had sold out by July 29, Trip.com said. Hotel bookings for October 23 and 24 were about 15 times the daily average for October.

HCM City saw a similar increase in bookings around the “Tình Hà Say Hi” and “Anh Trai Vượt Ngàn Chông Gai” concerts, both scheduled for October 17 and 18. Flight bookings to the city for travel from October 16 to 19 rose 77 per cent year on year, while hotel bookings for October 16 and 17 jumped 621 per cent.

A music concert in HCM City. Many music lovers in Việt Nam are ready to pay to join in music concerts, pushing demand for flight and accommodation. — VNS Photo Thu Ngân

Fans travel across borders

Vietnamese travellers are also increasingly flying abroad to attend international music events.

Agoda reported a 105 per cent rise in Vietnamese interest in travel to Bangkok this November, ahead of the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia 2026 Grand Final, scheduled for November 14.

The contest will bring performers from participating countries to Bangkok, with the event expected to draw a regional audience.

Vũ Ngọc Lâm, country director of Agoda Vietnam, said the company was proud to support the event as its official travel partner. He said the contest could encourage Vietnamese fans to visit Bangkok while also introducing Việt Nam’s music, culture and destinations to audiences across Asia.

Trip.com data also showed increased travel demand around The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn concerts in the region.

Bookings to Bangkok for October 9 to 11 were more than seven times the city’s average daily booking volume for the month. Fans booked an average of 72 days ahead, compared with 49 days for other October trips to Bangkok.

For the Kuala Lumpur concerts in November, bookings for travel from November 2 to 4 were nearly 22 times the city’s average daily volume for the month.

Concertgoers booked an average of 95 days in advance, compared with 86 days for other November trips.

The upcoming BTS World Tour “Arirang” is also contributing to regional travel demand. According to Trip.com, 88 per cent of its December bookings to Bangkok were for travel from December 1 to 5, while 91 per cent of bookings to Kuala Lumpur were for travel from December 9 to 12.

Compared with bookings for the same period last year, December 2026 bookings to Bangkok rose 1,116 per cent, while bookings to Singapore increased 696 per cent, Trip.com said, highlighting the role of major concerts in driving cross-border travel. — VNS