HCMC – Vietnam’s railway sector will deploy an AI-driven pricing system from May 1, allowing ticket prices to fall by as much as 35% as it optimizes unsold seats, helping passengers access cheaper tickets across the network.
Vietnam Railways Corporation (VNR) said the “flexible pricing” feature has been rolled out across its ticketing system, automatically adjusting fares based on real-time demand and seat availability.
In a pilot run from April 22 to 29, the system sold 9,376 tickets and generated about VND2 billion, while seat occupancy rose to 79%, up by nine percentage points from a year earlier and 12 points from the previous month. Discounted tickets accounted for more than 10% of passengers.
In terms of how the system operates, the AI automatically scans and calculates prices based on real-time conditions for each train.
When seats or berths have been partially sold for longer journeys, the system offers flexible discounts for the remaining shorter segments, depending on the time of booking.
For user convenience, discounted seats or berths are highlighted in light green on the carriage layout, along with detailed information on ticket prices and the amount of discount applied.
For the Reunification Day and International Labor Day holiday, VNR will operate 47 additional trains on top of 182 regular services, adding more than 22,000 seats on key routes including Hanoi-Haiphong, Hanoi-Lao Cai and HCMC-Nha Trang.
Passengers can access discounted fares through official railway websites, mobile applications and e wallet platforms.
