Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – The 9-day Lunar New Year holiday in 2026 is not only a time for family reunions and gatherings with friends and relatives, but also a prime period for people to travel, relax, and experience natural beauty and cultural charm. Online travel platform Booking.com released search data for the Lunar New Year holiday, comprehensively showcasing the travel preferences of Vietnamese tourists and the overall state of the tourism market during the holiday.
Branavan Aruljothi, Director of Booking.com Vietnam, stated that Vietnamese tourists' travel behavior during the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday exhibited significant diversification, with various forms such as off-peak early travel and short international trips coexisting. Tourists' holiday planning became more proactive and purposeful, favoring both domestic destinations with cool climates like Da Lat and showing strong interest in international destinations such as India and Japan.
During the pre-holiday search phase, Vietnamese tourists prioritized popular domestic resorts, while international destinations in Asia continued to gain attention due to their proximity and convenient travel options. For domestic travel, Phu Quoc Island topped the pre-holiday search rankings, rising three places compared to the 2025 Lunar New Year. Popular pre-holiday destinations, in order, included Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat, Hanoi, Vung Tau, Mui Ne, Hoi An, and Hue. Con Dao, with its tranquil coastline and sunny weather in January and February, also became a popular niche destination before the holiday.
For outbound travel, Thailand remained the most popular overseas destination before the holiday, with Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Hua Hin all ranking among the top ten. Searches for New Delhi, India, increased by over 500%, jumping 68 places to 12th, demonstrating remarkable growth.
During the Lunar New Year Golden Week, the busiest travel period of the year, Vietnamese tourists saw a significant increase in searches compared to the same period last year. Their travel preferences focused on resort destinations and cool-climate cities, emphasizing family gatherings and relaxation. In the domestic tourism market, Da Lat became the most searched destination during the holiday, followed by Phu Quoc Island and Nha Trang. Searches for Phan Thiet and Sapa quadrupled compared to 2025, successfully making them among the top ten most popular domestic destinations for the Lunar New Year.
In the international market, Vietnamese tourists gradually expanded their travel radius as the holiday extended. Besides traditional Southeast Asian hotspots like Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, long-distance destinations saw a significant increase in interest. Japan became a particularly favored overseas market for Vietnamese tourists during the Lunar New Year, with Tokyo ranking second in international destination searches. Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka also garnered significant attention.
After the Lunar New Year holiday, tourists traveling off-peak preferred in-depth journeys with rich cultural and spiritual significance, tending to explore more experiential long-distance destinations. Domestically, Da Nang, Phu Quoc Island, and Ho Chi Minh City remained the most popular post-holiday destinations. Nha Trang, Da Lat, Hanoi, and Vung Tau also received considerable attention due to their numerous cultural activities and seasonal festivals. Among these, Tiến Xuân, the location of the Western Pagoda, saw a significant increase in searches, highlighting tourists' strong interest in the traditional temple fairs held at the beginning of the year.
Internationally, Bangkok, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore remain the top choices for post-holiday travel. Meanwhile, tourists' pursuit of in-depth cultural experiences has driven a continued rise in search popularity for international cities such as Osaka, Paris, Chiang Mai, and Sydney.
Overall, during the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday, Vietnamese tourists enjoyed the long holiday with personalized travel experiences through diverse means, including domestic short trips and short-term international excursions. Their tourism consumption preferences are becoming more focused on quality and diversification.
