Russia tour returns, price over 50 million VND

Currently, Russian tourism alliances in Hanoi have started to resell Russian tours with 9-10 day programs for the traditional golden route Moscow - St. Petersburg, priced at around 50-60 million VND, transiting in Guangzhou, China or spending a night in Dubai. Direct flights are expected to be available from May during the peak season of white night tourism.

According to Ms. Luu Thi Thu, Deputy Director of Hoang Viet Travel, the current price of Russian tours has increased by 10% compared to before the pandemic - the basic increase according to the schedule of airlines every year. The price is considered good, easy to access for the main group of customers of Russian tours - the elderly, retired people or those who have studied or worked in Russia.

Last year, some travel agencies started selling tours to Russia during the White Nights, but the terrorist attack at the Moscow Opera House in March ruined all their plans. Ms. Thu said that at that time, their alliance successfully organized four groups, but had to cancel five groups in the past two years due to concerns about conflicts. Danh Nam Travel said that last year they had only successfully organized one famtrip group for businesses participating in the survey and one group of corporate guests. Gathering individual guests was difficult.

Ms. Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh, Director of Marketing Department of Vietravel, said that the Russian market has many fluctuations, requiring travel businesses to prepare carefully and coordinate closely with partners in Russia. Last year, the company successfully organized a tour to Russia for 140 guests and this year has also finalized the departure group in March and on the occasion of April 30. During the peak summer and white night season, the company plans to deploy 2 to 4 groups per month with the number of bookings tending to increase.

Vietravel currently offers many itineraries such as Moscow - St. Petersburg, Volga River cruise, Russia - Belarus route and the new Vladivostok route. These itineraries are designed to provide rich experiences, combining visits to historical, natural and cultural sites.

According to Ms. Khanh, one of the important factors contributing to the promotion of Russian tourism is the recovery and expansion of international air routes. It is expected that in 2025, many airlines will operate flights to Russian cities, including Aeroflot, China Southern Airlines, Emirates, China Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Mongolia Airlines and Turkmenistan Airlines.

Convenient entry procedures are also the reason why travel companies have high expectations for Russia tours in 2025 - according to Director Nguyen Ngoc Tung of Danh Nam Travel. Russia tours are currently supported with a lot of time for visa approval procedures when they can submit applications online four days before departure. Before the pandemic, visitors had to apply for a visa 30 days before departure.

"The price and experience in Russia are suitable for the budget and taste of Vietnamese tourists," said Mr. Tung, adding that the Russia tour does not include shopping, but allows visitors to visit many giant, magnificent structures.

Although the Russia tour, which departs in May, has only been on sale for 10 days, interest from tourists has been "very high", with most of them asking about the itinerary. However, the news that Ukraine recently carried out an unprecedented large-scale UAV attack on Moscow "has left many customers bewildered".

Danh Nam Travel representative said they assessed that security and safety issues will soon improve and that Russian tours will sell well this summer and fall. Hoang Viet Travel also said that the tour route will soon stabilize and tours during the red and yellow leaf season in Russia at the end of the year promise to attract registrations.

According to Vietravel, survey results from groups participating in tours in 2024 show that most tourists have a pleasant and secure experience throughout the journey. Major tourist destinations such as Moscow, St. Petersburg or Vladivostok still ensure safety for tourists with a professional service system. Reports from local land tour organizers of the companies also confirm that the security situation at tourist destinations has not changed, services are still operating well and meeting safety standards.

However, some units are not completely optimistic about Russian tours. General Director of AZA Travel Nguyen Tien Dat, who participated in the survey of Russian tours in 2024, said that "all travel experiences in Russia are good, it just depends on the customer's psychology".