A Thống Nhất passenger train at Tuy Hoà railway station in the central province of Phú Yên.—VNS Photo Bồ Xuân Hiệp

HCM CITY — Over 16,000 train tickets were sold on the first day of ticket sales for the Tết (Lunar New Year) holidays, which fall from February 8 to 14, 2024.

Despite higher prices compared to last year, there was a high demand for train tickets, particularly for routes from HCM City to the central provinces. 

Within just two hours of ticket sales opening on Friday (October 20) morning, over 16,200 seats were booked, with nearly 14,000 of them already paid for. Most of these tickets were for pre-Tết travel.

During the peak days from February 2 to 8, 2024, the railway sector prioritises ticket sales for long routes from HCM City to the northern provinces.

Many tickets to central provinces such as Quảng Ngãi, Đà Nẵng, and Thanh Hóa were already reserved.

To ensure smooth ticket purchasing, the Saigon railways station in District 3 allocates eight main counters and one backup counter for customers. 

They also provide train information, departure times, and ticket prices on display boards. 

The Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company assigns extra employees to assist customers during this busy period.

Thái Văn Truyền, director of Sài Gòn Railway Transport Joint Stock Company, said the company plans to provide over 200,000 train tickets to serve the high travel demand during the holiday, equivalent to nearly 400 train journeys. 

They will run 22 trains, including 10 Thống Nhất passenger trains and 12 others on various routes.

Due to the impact of fuel prices, the train tickets during the holidays this lunar year have increased by 1-4 per cent compared to last Tết, according to Truyền. 

The highest-priced one-way ticket from HCM City to Hà Nội is around VNĐ2.9 million, while the lowest-priced route is VNĐ1.9 million.

Passengers have multiple options to purchase tickets, including online platforms and electronic wallets like MoMo, Vimo, and ViettelPay. 

Tickets can also be bought at train stations, ticket counters, and authorised agents in the railway industry. 

Lunar New Year is Việt Nam’s most important holiday and many people rely on trains for their travel during this time. — VNS