BIGBANG arrives in Hanoi as sold out My Dinh shows drive travel demand and ticket resale prices

Three members arrive ahead of two packed stadium nights

G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung have arrived in Hanoi ahead of BIGBANG concerts scheduled for October 24 and 25, 2026, at My Dinh National Stadium, where sold out tickets have helped fuel a rush for flights, hotel rooms and last minute admission.

Both performances are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. The Hanoi stop belongs to the BIGBANG 2026-2027 World Tour XX : COSMOS, marking 20 years since the group made its debut in 2006.

Fans gathered early at Noi Bai International Airport to welcome the three performers, who then travelled by Rolls-Royce to their hotel. Promotional displays for the tour also greeted passengers arriving in the capital, while staging and event signs were being completed at My Dinh.

Advance publicity put the expected audience across both nights at about 90,000, while other event information described a capacity of approximately 40,000 per night, equivalent to about 80,000 admissions across two shows. Organisers said tickets for both performances had sold out.

The group reached JW Marriott Hanoi at approximately 11:39 p.m. The hotel on Do Duc Duc Street is about 15 minutes from the stadium by car when traffic is favourable. G-Dragon previously stayed there during his visit for K-Star Spark in Vietnam in June 2025.

A reunion tied to BIGBANG's 20th anniversary

XX : COSMOS is being presented as BIGBANG's first world tour as a group in nine years. For Vietnamese fans, the attraction is the opportunity to see G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung perform together, following G-Dragon's two appearances in Vietnam during 2025.

BIGBANG originally performed with five members. Seungri retired from entertainment, and T.O.P confirmed his departure from the group. The current tour brings together the three remaining performers, combining their shared catalogue with their separate musical careers.

AEG Presents Asia, Carpa and VPBank are organising the Hanoi concerts in cooperation with YG Entertainment, with Mastercard also supporting the event. Preparations and travel bookings have unfolded over several months:

• June 11: The tour announcement began drawing travel bookings for the concert dates.
• July 29: Trip.com recorded hotels within 3 kilometres of My Dinh reporting no availability for the concert period.
• August 14: Early ticket sales coincided with a surge in flight and hotel bookings.
• October 17: The official merchandise pop-up opened in Hanoi.
• October 22 and 23: Fans collected admission wristbands at the stadium.
• October 24 and 25: BIGBANG is scheduled to perform at My Dinh.
• October 31: The tour is scheduled to continue in Sydney, Australia.

What earlier concerts suggest about the music

BIGBANG's performances in Taipei on October 9 to 11 and Singapore on October 17 and 18 offer a guide to the possible Hanoi programme. Each tour stop is expected to feature more than 30 performances, mixing group songs, individual appearances and an encore, the additional songs performed near the end of a concert.

The Singapore show on October 18 opened with Fantastic Baby, followed by Hands Up and Tonight. Its programme also included Blue, Loser, If You, Bad Boy, Bae Bae, Haru Haru and Lies, bringing together songs from several periods of the group's career.

Later group performances included Bang Bang Bang, Stupid Liar, Sober, We Like 2 Party, BiiiG and HOME SWEET HOME. BiiiG was introduced as part of BIGBANG's anniversary programme, connecting the tour's celebration of older music with more recent material.

Live musicians have also given familiar songs different arrangements, including a stronger rock sound for Haru Haru. Some songs were shortened in Singapore, while the Taipei performances differed in order and duration. The final Hanoi song list has not been confirmed and may change between the two nights.

Solo stages give each member time in the spotlight

Daesung's Singapore programme included Universe, Wings, Hando-Chogua and Look at Me, Gwisun. The selection moved between songs associated with his singing voice and the more playful style of Look at Me, Gwisun.

Taeyang performed BAD, Ringa Linga and LIVE FAST DIE SLOW, drawing on the R&B and hip-hop styles of his solo career. G-Dragon's individual appearances featured POWER, Crayon and Crooked.

The Singapore encore included My heaven, Sunset Glow, Last Farewell, Feeling, Flower Road and Still Life. That sequence offered a mixture of celebratory songs and quieter material rather than keeping the same pace throughout the closing stretch.

For fans choosing between memories of BIGBANG as a group and their favourite member's solo work, the structure brings both into one evening. The anniversary format also allows the programme to move across the group's history without limiting the concert to its earliest hits.

Ten ticket categories, with clear limits on VIP benefits

Organisers said both Hanoi shows sold out after three main sales rounds and an additional release. Official prices ranged from VND 1 million for CAT 5 Restricted View to VND 10.5 million for the standing Ultimate VIP Package.

The other categories were Diamond VIP Package at VND 9.8 million, Gold VIP Package at VND 8.5 million, Premium Seating at VND 7.5 million, CAT 1 at VND 6.5 million, CAT 2 at VND 5.5 million, Standing Zone at VND 4.5 million, CAT 3 at VND 3.5 million and CAT 4 at VND 2 million.

The stadium layout combines standing and seated areas, with a runway extending from the main stage towards the centre. Restricted View tickets identify places where the view of the performance is partly obstructed, explaining their position at the lowest end of the price range.

All three VIP packages include a limited edition photocard set with four designs, priority check-in, tour souvenirs and a VIP card with a lanyard. Ultimate and Diamond packages also include a priority lane for merchandise purchases. Organisers explicitly excluded meetings with the members and photographs with them from VIP benefits.

Resale offers range from face value to steep premiums

Ticket sellers gathered outside My Dinh ahead of the first performance, approaching potential buyers with wristbands and offers across several categories. Some exchanges were negotiated at the stadium; others followed arrangements made online to hand over ticket codes and wristbands.

Gold VIP pairs were offered for approximately VND 18 million to VND 20 million, compared with an official combined price of VND 17 million. At VND 20 million, the premium is VND 3 million, or about 18%. Some Diamond pairs were advertised above VND 30 million, against a combined original price of VND 19.6 million, a premium exceeding 53%.

CAT 5 tickets originally priced at VND 1 million were offered at approximately VND 2.5 million each, or two and a half times their original price. CAT 1 pairs for the first night were advertised at VND 14 million to VND 15 million, compared with VND 13 million through official sales.

Prices varied widely by seller and performance date. CAT 2 and CAT 3 pairs were advertised around VND 7 million in some offers and about VND 14 million for the second night in others. A VND 7 million pair equals the original combined CAT 3 price and is below the original VND 11 million price for two CAT 2 tickets.

Social media posts also circulated asking prices of up to VND 7 million for CAT 3 and around VND 12 million for Diamond tickets, with no independent verification of those offers. Buyers using unofficial sellers face risks involving ticket validity, disputes and financial loss. Videos circulating online showed authorities speaking with sellers and directing them away from the stadium area.

Wristbands and merchandise bring fans together before showtime

Wristband collection took place on October 22 and 23, with separate areas for each ticket category. Fans presented electronic tickets containing QR codes, which staff scanned before issuing wristbands and the benefits attached to the booking.

Phan Thu Trang, a fan from Phu Tho who has followed BIGBANG for 13 years, described the process as quick and convenient. She had attended both of G-Dragon's Vietnam concerts in 2025 and planned to visit The Garden Mall afterwards to buy merchandise.

Other fans travelled much farther. Thanh Ha flew from Australia to Vietnam for the Hanoi concerts and planned to return to Australia for another tour performance. Thuy Trang arrived from Vung Tau on October 21, while Ngoc Linh from Thai Binh used fan groups to find companions and share travel costs.

The official pop-up, open since October 17, carries nearly 70 merchandise lines. They include a crown shaped lightstick marking the 20th anniversary, a Hanoi Edition T-shirt, key rings, scarves and stickers. The city specific shirt gives fans a souvenir tied directly to the Vietnam stop.

Hotel demand spreads beyond the stadium neighbourhood

Trip.com figures released on October 8 showed hotel bookings for October 23 and 24 at approximately 15 times the average daily level for October. Fans booked accommodation an average of 76 days ahead, and 65% of bookings were made at least 60 days before the stay.

A check of roughly 10 hotels within 1 to 3 kilometres of My Dinh on October 21 and 22 found most had no rooms available for October 24. Double rooms commonly cost about VND 1 million per night, an increase of VND 200,000 to VND 300,000 from ordinary rates.

Nguyen Van Tho, chief executive of travel booking platform Mustgo, put occupancy in the My Dinh area above 80%, with prices rising by approximately 5% to 15%, depending on the property. Travellers increasingly searched in Cau Giay and Bac Tu Liem as nearby options narrowed.

Novotel Suites Hanoi, about 4 kilometres from the stadium, and Novotel Hanoi Thai Ha, about 6 kilometres away, were nearly full for October 24 and 25, according to Nguyen Thi Viet Thu, the hotel system's deputy general manager and director of sales and distribution. Sheraton Hanoi, approximately 10 kilometres away, was fully booked for both nights, with average prices 30% to 50% above a typical weekend, according to marketing director Nguyen Thi Cam Ly.

Flights make a late booking much more expensive

Trip.com recorded a 74% increase in flight bookings to Hanoi for October 23 to 26 compared with the same period in 2025, alongside a 76% increase in passenger numbers. Its bookings to Hanoi across October rose 45%. Leading departure markets included Ho Chi Minh City, Seoul, Taipei, Nagoya, Da Nang and Busan.

Flight and hotel bookings associated with the concert reached six times the average daily level on August 14, when early ticket sales took place. Flights were booked an average of 70 days before departure, with 51% reserved at least 60 days ahead.

Near the concert dates, return flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi for October 23 to 26 started at approximately VND 5.1 million for late departures without checked baggage. More convenient flights including baggage approached VND 7 million. Comparable options for October 30 to November 1 cost about VND 3 million and VND 4 million respectively, making concert weekend fares approximately 70% to 75% higher.

Minh Anh, a traveller from Ho Chi Minh City, booked flights and accommodation in July and budgeted about VND 17 million for October 23 to 26. She also considered extending the trip to Cao Bang if her work schedule allowed, showing how a concert visit can bring spending beyond the host city.

Hanoi is part of a wider regional concert travel surge

Vietnamese travellers are also planning trips around concerts elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Trip.com recorded Bangkok travel bookings for October 9 to 11 at seven times the daily October average around The Weeknd's October 11 performance. Those trips were booked an average of 72 days ahead, compared with 49 days for other Bangkok travel that month.

For The Weeknd's Kuala Lumpur performances on November 4 and 5, bookings for November 2 to 4 reached nearly 22 times the daily November average. Average advance booking was 95 days, compared with 86 days for other trips to the Malaysian capital.

BTS performances scheduled for December were also concentrating bookings around concert dates. Trip.com put 88% of Bangkok bookings in December within December 1 to 5, 91% of Kuala Lumpur bookings within December 9 to 12, and 73% of Singapore bookings within December 17 to 22.

Hanoi's immediate experience is more concrete than a tourism slogan: rooms fill beyond the stadium district, flight prices rise for particular weekends, and fans commit money months before travelling. Businesses gain customers across several days, while fans who leave arrangements late face fewer rooms, higher fares and pressure to consider expensive resale tickets.

At a Glance

• BIGBANG's G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung are in Hanoi for My Dinh concerts on October 24 and 25, scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.
• Organisers say both shows sold out. Original ticket prices ranged from VND 1 million to VND 10.5 million.
• Earlier tour stops combined group hits, solo performances and an encore. Hanoi's final song list is unconfirmed.
• Trip.com recorded flight bookings to Hanoi rising 74% for October 23 to 26 compared with the same period in 2025.
• Hotels near My Dinh filled early, with demand extending to properties several kilometres away.
• Some Diamond ticket pairs were offered above VND 30 million outside official sales channels.
• The tour is scheduled to continue in Sydney on October 31.