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 Vietnam and neighbouring countries towards the end of the year, including BIGBANG’s World Tour at Hanoi’s My Dinh National Stadium on Oct 24 and 25, and shows in HCM City by 'Tình Ha Say Hi' and 'Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai'. International events include The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn tour and BIGBANG’s World Tour.
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 Hanoi and HCM City is particularly strong this October, the company said.
Travel demand for BIGBANG’s Hanoi 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 Aug 14 was followed by a larger spike in flight and hotel bookings—about six times the baseline, according to Trip.com.
Flight bookings to Hanoi for travel from Oct 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 Hanoi 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 My Dinh National Stadium had sold out by July 29, Trip.com said. Hotel bookings for Oct 23 and 24 were about 15 times the daily average for October.
HCM City saw a similar increase in bookings around the 'Tinh Ha Say Hi' and 'Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai' concerts, both scheduled for Oct 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 Oct 16 and 17 jumped 621 per cent.
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 Nov 14.
The contest will bring performers from participating countries to Bangkok, with the event expected to draw a regional audience.
Vu Ngọc Lam, 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 Oct 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 Nov 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 Dec 1 to 5, while 91 per cent of bookings to Kuala Lumpur were for travel from Dec 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. — Vietnam News/ANN
