Vietjet is ushering in the Year of the Horse with an aggressive suite of Lunar New Year promotions aimed squarely at value-conscious travelers. From generous free baggage allowances and festive in-flight dining to time-limited fare discounts of up to 100 percent off base fares, the Vietnamese low-cost carrier is using Tet 2026 as a springboard for a broader push across its domestic and international network. For travelers planning holiday reunions, regional getaways or long-haul adventures, the airline’s latest campaigns are turning Lunar New Year into one of the most affordable moments to fly in and out of Vietnam.
Lunar New Year Demand Surges and Vietjet Scales Up
Lunar New Year, or Tet, is traditionally the busiest travel period of the year in Vietnam, and 2026 is no exception. The first day of Tet falls on February 17, 2026, and demand for flights before and after that date has soared as Vietnamese families prepare for their annual reunions and city dwellers plot escapes to beach destinations and regional hubs. Sensing this wave of demand months in advance, Vietjet has moved early to secure market share with a combination of capacity increases and headline-grabbing incentives.
The carrier has opened sales on roughly 2.5 million tickets specifically timed for the Tet peak, covering the period from February 3 to March 2, 2026. Fares on key domestic routes such as Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Buon Ma Thuot start from sharp promotional levels, while flights connecting Ho Chi Minh City with northern cities like Hanoi, Vinh, Thanh Hoa and Hai Phong have been priced to remain competitive against full-service rivals. In the opposite direction, from northern and central Vietnam back to the south after the holiday, promotional tickets start from a symbolic zero Vietnamese dong before taxes and fees, a clear signal that Vietjet is determined to fill every available seat once holidaymakers begin their post-Tet return journeys.
To avoid the bottlenecks that plagued airports in previous years, Vietjet has also added close to 1,800 supplementary flights systemwide during the peak period, translating into nearly 390,000 extra seats over and above its regular schedule. Much of this added capacity has been dedicated to trunk routes between Ho Chi Minh City and major provincial centers such as Hanoi, Da Nang, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Hue, Hai Phong, Quy Nhon and Dong Hoi, ensuring that families in both directions can find departures at convenient times. The result is a more flexible Tet timetable for passengers and a stronger operational presence for Vietjet in the most hotly contested market of the year.
Free Baggage: A Game-Changer for Holiday Travelers
Among the most eye-catching elements of Vietjet’s Lunar New Year push is its focus on free checked baggage, a perk traditionally associated with full-service airlines rather than low-cost carriers. For Tet 2026, Vietjet is leveraging baggage incentives both to reward early bookers and to differentiate its fare bundles at a time when travelers are particularly likely to be hauling gifts, specialty foods and extra clothing between households.
On international Eco-class routes, a recent year-end promotion grants passengers an additional 20 kilograms of free checked baggage when they book within the airline’s designated campaign window. That means travelers heading from Vietnam to destinations in Australia, India, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos and Cambodia can carry more without incurring the usual ancillary fees. For families and overseas Vietnamese returning home with full suitcases, or expatriates departing Vietnam after the holidays, that added allowance can be worth as much as the base fare itself.
For those stepping up to Deluxe fares, the offer is even more generous. As part of a New Year 2026 promotion centered on Deluxe tickets, Vietjet has advertised free checked baggage allowances of up to 40 kilograms on both domestic and international routes for travel across most of the year, including the Tet and spring travel seasons. In practical terms, this means that travelers can consolidate multiple bags into a single booking, avoiding the need to weigh every souvenir or pack with extreme discipline.
These expanded baggage perks are a strategic response to a market where ancillary fees can quickly erode any savings from low base fares. By bundling in free baggage at key moments, Vietjet is encouraging customers to trade up to higher fare classes or to book directly with the airline rather than through intermediaries, all while reinforcing the perception that Tet is a time for generous, worry-free travel.
Festive Dining and Entertainment at 10,000 Meters
Beyond pricing and baggage waivers, Vietjet is using the festive calendar to showcase its onboard experience. The airline has been steadily upgrading its cabin service, and Tet 2026 gives it a high-profile platform to highlight Vietnamese culinary specialties and seasonal entertainment that distinguish its brand from that of more utilitarian low-cost rivals.
On many flights, passengers can pre-order or purchase hot meals that celebrate Vietnamese cuisine, including classics such as pho, banh mi and iced milk coffee, alongside a rotating selection of Asian and international dishes. During the Tet and broader winter holiday period, the menu is complemented by limited-time offerings inspired by festive flavors, giving both local and foreign travelers a literal taste of the season while in the air. The emphasis on fresh, hot and locally resonant meals aligns with Vietjet’s broader ambition to position itself as a fun, lifestyle-oriented carrier rather than a purely no-frills operator.
To reinforce the celebratory mood, Vietjet’s cabin crews have been enlisted as front-line ambassadors for the festive campaign. Flights during the end of 2025 and the first months of 2026 are being marketed as stages for cultural performances and light-hearted entertainment, with special activities tied to Christmas, New Year, Valentine’s Day and, crucially, Lunar New Year. Surprise gifts and themed announcements turn routine sectors into mini events, especially for younger passengers and first-time flyers traveling home for Tet.
This fusion of cultural storytelling, service upgrades and promotional pricing illustrates how Vietjet is attempting to move beyond a narrow focus on cost leadership. By anchoring its Tet offering in sensory experiences, the airline is appealing to travelers who may have more choices than ever before but still want their journey to feel distinctively Vietnamese and unmistakably festive.
Exclusive Discount Campaigns Anchor the Holiday Strategy
The airline’s Tet promotions do not exist in isolation; they are part of a rolling sequence of discount events that began well before the Lunar New Year and will extend deep into 2026. For travelers, this means a patchwork of overlapping opportunities to save, each with its own booking window, travel period and promotional code.
In late 2025, Vietjet launched what it called its largest year-end campaign, branded around the message of “thanking yourself” with a journey above the clouds. Under that banner, the carrier offered millions of Eco tickets discounted by up to 100 percent off the base fare, subject to the usual surcharges and taxes. Bookings were restricted to a defined week in November, but the eligible travel period stretched from early January to late May 2026, neatly encompassing the Tet peak and the subsequent spring travel season.
That November sale was followed in December by an even more concentrated event pegged to the popular “double day” retail phenomenon. On December 12, Vietjet put millions of additional seats on promotion, again with discounts of up to 100 percent on Eco tickets for travel through the end of 2026. Customers who booked within that one-day window not only secured deeply reduced base fares but also gained access to the 20 kilogram baggage perk on international routes through the end of 2025, aligning year-end travel with the upcoming Lunar New Year spike.
As the calendar flipped to 2026, the airline extended the momentum into the New Year with a targeted Deluxe fare sale, giving travelers a full 30 percent off base fares on a single day in mid-January. Unlike many flash promotions, this discount applied across the carrier’s entire domestic and international network and covered almost the entirety of the 2026 travel year. Tet-bound passengers stood to benefit directly, but the offer also encouraged advance planning for later-spring trips, family visits and regional exploration beyond the holiday weeks.
Network Reach: From Tet Reunions to Regional Adventures
Vietjet’s Tet promotions are particularly potent because they apply across a network that now extends well beyond Vietnam’s borders. While domestic sectors between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and key provincial centers remain the backbone of Tet travel, the airline has spent the past several years building a web of international connections that tap into the broader Asia-Pacific holiday market.
For travelers based in Vietnam or visiting friends and relatives in the country, the Lunar New Year promotions offer discounted access to destinations across Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. These routes have become popular options for short beach breaks and urban escapes both before and after Tet, when travelers look to extend their holidays or take advantage of quieter periods in major cities once local celebrations subside.
Farther afield, Vietjet has positioned routes to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan as springtime highlights, leveraging the Tet promotion period to stimulate demand for cherry blossom season and early-spring travel. Discounts tied to Eco and Deluxe fares, combined with expanded baggage allowances, make it easier for Vietnamese travelers to bring home gifts and specialty products, while also appealing to inbound tourists who may pair Vietnam with neighboring countries in a multi-destination itinerary.
The airline has also drawn attention to its expanding connections to Australia and select cities in India and China. These flights cater to a mix of leisure travelers, overseas students and diaspora communities who often plan trips many months in advance. By aligning its deepest discounts and most generous baggage offers with Tet, Vietjet is positioning itself as an attractive bridge between Vietnam and a growing array of long-haul and regional markets, using the Lunar New Year as a catalyst for year-round traffic.
Practical Tips for Making the Most of Vietjet’s Tet Offers
For travelers hoping to capitalize on Vietjet’s Tet promotions, timing and attention to detail are essential. Many of the most generous discounts are tied to extremely short booking windows, sometimes as brief as a single day, so it pays to monitor the airline’s announcements and be ready to act quickly. Because base fares can drop to zero or close to it, the remaining cost often lies in taxes, airport fees and optional extras, so passengers should compare the full trip price, not just the headline discount, when evaluating deals.
It is also important to understand the differences between Vietjet’s fare classes. Eco tickets form the backbone of the network and are usually the first to appear in heavily publicized campaigns. They may come with basic cabin baggage only, unless a specific promotion adds checked baggage on particular routes or during specific sales periods. Deluxe fares, by contrast, bundle in substantial checked baggage allowances, seat selection and more flexible change conditions, making them especially attractive for travelers carrying heavy loads for Tet or planning multi-stop itineraries.
Given the intense pressure on airport infrastructure during the Lunar New Year, travelers are well advised to complete online check-in within the airline’s permitted window and to arrive at the airport early, particularly if they are checking in multiple bags. With Vietjet adding supplemental flights throughout February and early March, check-in counters and security lanes can become congested during peak hours. Using mobile boarding passes, self-service kiosks where available and carefully reading baggage rules ahead of time can significantly reduce day-of-travel stress.
Finally, because Tet is a family-centered holiday, passengers should pay close attention to seat selection options, especially when traveling with children or elderly relatives. In some promotional bundles, seat selection is included at no extra cost, but on the lowest promotional fares it may be subject to additional charges. For many families, paying a modest premium to sit together is a worthwhile trade-off for a smoother journey during the year’s busiest travel period.
What Vietjet’s Tet Campaigns Signal About the Future of Low-Cost Travel
Vietjet’s Tet 2026 program, with its blend of free baggage, festive dining and layered discount events, offers a glimpse into the evolving strategy of low-cost carriers in Southeast Asia. Rather than competing solely on ticket prices, the airline is experimenting with a more holistic approach that packages experiential elements and tangible perks into time-limited campaigns aligned with key cultural moments.
By anchoring promotions to Tet, double-day sales and the broader festive season, Vietjet is tapping into consumer behaviors honed by e-commerce platforms and retail brands. Travelers are being trained to watch for specific dates when value peaks, and the airline is leveraging this anticipation to fill seats earlier, smooth demand curves and encourage customers to commit to travel plans months in advance. In return, passengers are being offered meaningful savings, higher baggage limits and a more celebratory experience in the air.
At the same time, these campaigns highlight the growing complexity of the low-cost value proposition. Passengers must navigate a matrix of fare types, promotional codes and restricted booking windows to unlock the full benefit of the offers. Those who take the time to understand the rules and act quickly stand to gain the most, while more casual bookers may miss out on the deepest discounts and most generous baggage waivers.
For now, however, Vietjet’s message heading into Tet 2026 is clear. The airline wants travelers to associate Lunar New Year with not only reunion and celebration but also smart, affordable journeys. With expanded capacity, aggressive pricing, complimentary baggage and a renewed focus on festive dining and onboard entertainment, Vietjet is betting that its Tet campaign will not just fill airplanes in February, but also cement loyalty well into the rest of the Year of the Horse.