The appeal of domestic tourism during the April 30 and May 1 holidays

This year, the domestic tourism market during the holidays has become more vibrant with historical tour packages and journeys to the source on the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day.

Representatives of travel companies said that, unlike previous years, this year’s domestic and foreign tour buyers are relatively equal. Notably, historical and origin tours are very popular with tourists during this holiday.

According to a representative of Vietluxtour, during the April 30 - May 1 holiday this year, tourists coming to Ho Chi Minh City will have many options to explore the city with a series of inner-city tours that have just been built, renovated and put into operation by the unit.

In particular, the highlight is the tour programme entitled "Legends of Heroes" - a tourism product that has just won an award in the contest on designing a tourism programme to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification launched by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism.

With a 4-day, 3-night journey, the tour will take visitors from Ho Chi Minh City to historical sites such as: Rung Sac War Zone Historical Site - a site associated with the heroic commando soldiers of Group 10; Can Gio Monkey Island; Rung Sac Martyrs Cemetery, Cu Chi Tunnels and Independence Palace.

In addition, Vietluxtour also organises many other cultural and historical tours such as: From ancient Saigon to present-day Ho Chi Minh City; Memories of Saigon-Cho Lon, District 1 - Night colours; Cu Chi - land of steel and bronze; Imprints of Saigon-Gia Dinh-Ho Chi Minh City... In particular, the "Saigon Special Forces" tour has been organised for many years but still attracts a large number of domestic and international tourists.

Thanks to the attraction of activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification, BestPrice Travel launched two tour packages called "Returning to the land of steel", exploring the heroic land, witnessing the unique tunnel system, experiencing the tunnel, reliving glorious historical stories; and "Imprint of heroic reunification", visiting historical sites associated with the victory day and the development of Ho Chi Minh City today.

Bui Thanh Tu, Marketing Director of BestPrice Travel, said that these tours have received the attention and research of tourists. Because this is not simply a journey of discovery but also has profound educational value, contributing to spreading cultural values, enhancing historical understanding and educating patriotism and national pride in each tourist.

In addition to the programs about the source and history, according to the records of travel businesses, this year, coastal destinations such as: Da Nang, Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh), Phu Quoc (Kien Giang), heritage destinations such as: Trang An (Ninh Binh), Hue, Hoi An (Quang Nam) or the east and northwest discovery routes continue to attract a large number of tourists.

Nguyen Hoai Thu, Director of Saigontourist Hanoi branch, said that this year, the trend of choosing domestic destinations during the April 30 and May 1 holidays continues to increase, with itineraries to explore the peaceful beauty of the Northwest, watch the sunset in Phan Thiet, Nha Trang, feel the majesty of Hue citadel or release lanterns in Hoi An ancient town.

According to Thu, up to this point, Saigontourist’s domestic itineraries during the April 30 and May 1 holidays are fully booked, and the number of customers booking tours increased by 15% compared to 2024.

Some travel businesses also recorded a clear growth in domestic tourism. According to General Director of Flamingo Redtours Nguyen Cong Hoan, during this April 30 and May 1 holiday, the rate of customers buying domestic and foreign tours has narrowed, respectively, by 45% and 55%.

For domestic tours, tourists are interested in origin journey products such as: tours to visit the resistance capital Tan Trao associated with meeting experiences at the Government Council Hall; eating resistance meals at the Central Party shelter; rowing rafts and singing Then on the Pho Day River.

In addition, travel experiences by train to Hai Phong, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Hue, Quang Nam, and Da Nang are also loved by visitors. The advantage of this product line is that the cost is more reasonable, and it increases the experience when tourists travel, sightsee, interact, and organise events on the train.

The April 30 and May 1 holidays are a stepping stone for the peak summer tourist season. This is also an opportunity for localities to launch many new products to attract tourists.

On this occasion, Quang Nam Province offers the incentive programme entitled "Quang Nam - Green Heritage" worth about 10 billion VND, applied from April to November 2025; Da Nang introduces the tourism stimulus programme entitled "Enjoy Da Nang - Multiple experiences" with special attractive incentive service packages for domestic and international tourists throughout 2025.

Binh Thuan introduces many special tourism programmes in Phan Thiet-Mui Ne, exploring Phu Quy Island with large-scale cultural, sports and tourism events on April 30 and May 1.

Nghe An-Thanh Hoa-Ninh Binh promote the sea tourism season associated with festivals, unique and attractive eco-tourism and spiritual tourism products.

The April 30 and May 1 holidays are always the "golden" time for the domestic tourism industry to accelerate. The combination of historical and origin tourism with stimulus programmes of travel agencies and localities promises to increase the number of visitors during this holiday.