Tran Anh Thuy of HCMC was among those who booked soon after Vietnam beat Thailand 2-1 in the first leg of the final on that day.

His tour, along with five friends, cost VND13 million (US$510).

The second leg will be played at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on Jan. 5.

Thuy had been looking at tours that came with match tickets since he learned Thailand would be Vietnam’s opponent, but waited for the first leg to be finished to finalize his booking.

“When Son scored the second goal, I booked it without hesitation,” he says, referring to naturalized Brazilian-born striker Nguyen Xuan Son who scored a brace in Vietnam’s victory.

He hopes to see Vietnam team lift the trophy on Thai soil and then plans to go out with his friends for a meal.

Tours from Hanoi and HCMC including a match ticket cost VND12-14 million ($470-550), VND4-5 million higher than usual.

Travel agencies say there was a flurry of bookings soon after the first leg, requiring them to work through the night.

Giant tour company Viet Media Travel received confirmed 50 bookings overnight, with the largest group being one of 35 travelers.

Before the first leg the company had sold 60% of its tours for the match, and had sold out by the morning of Jan. 3.

According to Chung Thuy Chau, the company’s sales director, this is the “hottest” football tourism season in recent years, possibly even surpassing the 2018 ChangZhou event when Vietnam reached the final of the AFC U23 Championship for the first time.

The intense rivalry between Vietnam and Thailand and Son’s outstanding performance have led to this surge in demand, he says.

Flamingo Redtours travel agency too reports there was a sharp increase in inquiries for tours after 10 p.m on Jan. 2, after the final’s first leg finished, with customers contacting them until midnight.

A group of 10 people paid a deposit of VND100 million ($3,930) at 11 p.m. to secure their tours.

Trang An Travel and two other companies have organized a charter flight with 180 seats for the final. They said 30% of the seats were booked before the match and 90% after, and hoped to sell out by Jan. 3.

Vietravel has already sold out 95% of its football tours, with around 900 customers. The company plans to purchase more tickets to accommodate around 1,000 customers who want to travel to Thailand to support the Vietnam team.

According to travel agencies, there is a high likelihood that many people hoping to book a tour to see the match will be disappointed due to the limited supply.

Most of them only bought 100-200 tickets before the first leg to avoid risks.

But now, with demand soaring, buying tickets from their partners in Thailand has become very difficult.

Flight tickets are also an issue. As of Jan. 3 the lowest Hanoi-Bangkok fare for Jan. 4 was VND3.2 million ($125), double the usual price. The highest fare was VND7.4 million ($290).

Some large travel companies are changing flight dates by paying extra to accommodate customers making last-minute bookings.

“You have to have the experience or courage to book large numbers of match tickets and charter flights,” Hoang Minh, an employee of a travel company in Hanoi, says.

His company has 100 customers seeking to book tours but cannot get tickets for them, he says.

After the first leg many individuals and smaller agencies started offering tours to Thailand for the football but Minh advises people to be cautious and choose reputable agencies as this type of tour requires great professionalism.

He also warns that conmen could exploit fans’ excitement and sell them fake tours.

Many Vietnamese fans had already booked tickets to Bangkok after Thailand beat the Philippines in their second-leg semifinal and set up the final against Vietnam.

Nguyen Ngoc Hung of Thai Binh Province was among those who began to make travel plans after the Thailand-Philippines match ended on Dec. 31.

He went online to search for flight tickets and tour packages to Thailand, worried tickets might sell out or only expensive options would be left.

“I want to be there in person to cheer for our team,” he says.

“I hope to relive the emotional moment of the Vietnamese team in Thailand, just like the historic AFC U-23 Asian Cup run in Changzhou in 2018.”

Many of his football-loving friends are also keen to travel to Thailand to support their team.

Dao To Nga, a sales representative at a travel agency in Hanoi, says: “By 8 a.m. on Dec. 31 I had already received five or six messages from customers inquiring about tours to Thailand to watch Vietnam play Thailand.”

By 1 p.m. that day she had booked a tour for a group of almost 10 people.

Companies offered two options: all-inclusive packages and “free & easy” tours.

The former, priced at VND11.9-14.99 million ($470-585), are for two, three or four days and include transportation, a Vietnamese-speaking guide, match tickets, and accommodation in a four-star hotel or better.

They also include visits to popular Bangkok attractions such as Jomtien Beach, the Four Regions Floating Market, Khao Chee Chan Buddha Mountain, Erawan Shrine, and temples like Wat Arun and Wat Yanawa.

The free & easy packages, starting at VND9.9 million ($390) include the airfare, hotel accommodation and a match ticket.

All customers will be provided with flags, banners and hand-held placards to take to the match.