Vietnam Airlines Customer Reviews and Vietnam Airlines Passenger Trip Reports

Travelled SIN-Hanoi and Hanoi-SIN on an A321. The aircraft was new and seats also new and comfortable. There is no personal entertainment set, but the flight was short so it was ok. The service was only passable, female staff were good and patient but the male staff were slow in responding to requests. Food was pretty good but portions are small. Overall, a good airline. Plane left on time and landed early on both occasions but the landings were all terrible.

London Gatwick To Bangkok via Ho Chi Minh. Glad that I'd read previous reviews, which are pretty accurate. Would also add that you get what you pay for! The flight was smooth but departed a little late, and plane looked a bit the worse for wear. The flight the inflight entertainment stopped working, which appears to be very common. I was prepared and had my iPad etc to entertain me. Lunch and breakfast provided and were average. In between times nothing else was offered, in fact most passengers went to gallery and were offered pot noodles, and people helped themselves to drinks too. Also two toilets were out of order. Ho Chi Minh to BKK was the opposite, and we had one of tastiest meals, more legroom, newer plane. A disappointing experience, and would not choose to fly with them again - except we have a return flight!

LGW-HCMC, 1/12/12 - Flight was 5 hours delayed, whilst awaiting boarding advised we would be further delayed. Finally boarded flight - firstly discovered av equipment was not working, screen jammed on child's game, no option to shut screen off completely. Having read previously reviews I ensured I had sufficient reading material. However, raised matter with cabin crew - response was a shrug of the shoulders from first member of staff. Discovered the overhead reading light also not working so despite having a back up plan this fell foul of Vietnam Airlines also. The member of staff returned to me a period of time later advising she had spoken to the purser who informed that no options for an upgrade or alternative seating were to be offered. Managed to utilise inflight newspapers to cover screen which was not attended to by staff. I do not believe that the cost of my flight was particularly low when compared with other airlines. It is unfortunate that my return flight is also with this carrier however I am giving this as little thought as possible to ensure it does not affect my vacation.

LGW to HCMC return. Outward flight delayed 5hrs due to technical issues with dated B777 aircraft. Cabin crew were unfriendly however did provide food and drinks on request. Aircraft was dirty, damage can be seen all around the cabin and the inflight entertainment was old and did not work both ways. Seats are old and uncomfortable however the flight was fairly smooth. Return flight delayed 9hrs due to technical issues with the aircraft again. This was the same aircraft as the outward flight so cabin quality was the same, however the cabin crew were better on the return flight and provided a good service. The food was fine although they did run up of the European option as it was popular on the return flight. Due to the delay the airline put passengers up in a hotel overnight which was of a good standard. Final comments are that we were very concerned on the return flight due to the nature of the delays being technical issues with the aircraft and other posts here suggest that this is not unusual on this route. I will not fly long haul with this airline again however we had a good experience of an internal flight which I will comment separately. All luggage was received promptly.

HUI-HAN on a newish A321. Left on time and luggage came out fast. Might as well not bother having FAs on board though since all they do is give you a bottle of water and sit down and relax for the rest of the flight. Would be nice to have a few more beverage options if VNA really want to distinguish themselves from competitor airlines. At the very least they should offer tea/coffee.

Phu Quoc island to Can Tho - this 40 minute flight was good. The plane seemed new and I would happily fly Vietnam Airways domestic based on this experience.

Flew HAN-SGN on an old but clean B777. Flight left on time and luggage came out fast. The inflight food and beverages were a disgrace though. Apparently only water and Pepsi will be served now on this route! Not even a cup of tea or coffee. Frankly this is a disgrace given that the airline have recently increased their fares. Food consisted of a revolting, vacuum packed sandwich with low quality meat. Given that they now have more competition than ever on this route, you'd think they'd be trying to improve their service, not make cut backs and provide their passengers with less options. Very disappointing. The quality of the food in their lounge is also terrible.

Bangkok - HCMC. Plane was fairly new, but already showing damage to seats, lockers, etc. People using phones on takeoff and landing without any action from the crew. On arrival the aircraft was parked (finally after a 15 min delay) far out on the boundary then a further 20 minute delay before disembarkation. The airport ATC is a disaster.

Round-trip from Taipei to Siem Reap via Ho Chi Minh City. No long lines at check-in. All the planes (A321) seemed new inside and out and were quite roomy inside. I am tall and was especially happy with the amount of legroom. All of my seats were almost like Economy Plus seats on United Airlines. All flights left on time and arrived earlier than expected. The flight crew were not particularly friendly, but were efficient. I have to say that the last flight was a bit hot and stuffy and I could have used some air conditioning, but it wasn't horrible. Our bags were promptly delivered on both legs. It was a good experience overall and I wouldn't hesitate to fly with them again.

Gatwick to Ho Chi Minh City. Flight out was the worst long haul ever. Plane was incredibly hot with no option for any air conditioning. Staff were unhelpful and rude. Inflight entertainment did not work. Return journey was an equal disaster. Flight delayed 9 hours due to problems with the plane. They made no announcements at all and we were just told it was cancelled. They shipped us all off to hotels which took 3 hours and we then had to be back at the airport 4 hours later so no real sleep obtained. On returning to the airport as they had taken our passports off us they then had the task of handing out passports to 300 odd people - no organisation and no idea. In the end passengers took the box of passports off them and dealt with it themselves. Actual flight back was ok and staff were a little more helpful and attentive - not surprising really. Both planes on our journey were dirty.

Flew London to Singapore via Vietnam. Aircraft is in need of a re fit, the IFE is the older style and you can't stop start the programs but it worked. Crew friendly and the meals were good.

Recently used as part of a booking made with Qantas airlines but flying with Vietnam Airlines. The flight to and from was poor with the aircraft in need of some basic maintenance/repairs, consoles not working and crew not interested in any complaints or requests. Food sub standard with no choices in what you got. I used the airline for all internal flights within Vietnam which was better that their international flights and pleasant with all aspects of the process without fault. I suppose you pay for what you get. Surprised Qantas putting their name to another airline.

My son and I have used Vietnam Airlines several times. Bangkok to Hanoi, Hanoi to Hong Kong, Vientiane to Phnom Penh and then on to Ho Chi Minh City. No complaints. Good service, good food, on time, no lost luggage and aircraft in excellent condition. I will fly them again this summer from HCMC round-trip to Nha Trang. Nothing to complain about.

Twice this year I have travelled Vietnam Airlines from Australia to the UK in Business Class. Excellent value for money. The best aircraft are the newer A330-200s, cabins in better shape, and excellent seat recline when compared to the B77-200s, which are looking rather tired. Check in easy, lounges fine, although nothing special, transit procedures in Vietnam well co-ordinated by ground staff. Onboard, service is consistent, catering excellent, wines good, AVOD rather limited. Despite these minor criticisms, I believe that VN offers the best value for money Business Class option from Australia to the UK at present.

HKG-SGN-DAD-SGN-HKG. My partner and I flew to D'nang with Vietnam airlines. The flight from Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh was comfortable. We received a full meal service on board even though the flight was only 2 hours long. Ho Chi Minh itself is a bit of a culture shock. You will need to re-check in for domestic flights. Our connecting flight was cancelled but we were put back onto the next flight. They said we could have dinner in their lounge, but none of their lounges knew what the desk was on about and by then it was too late to question it as there is no airline desk once in the departure lounge. Any longer than a one our transit in SGN is far too long!

I booked Vietnam Airlines as they are the only company that do direct flights to Vietnam - I was travelling with children and wanted to get to Vietnam in the shortest possible time! The stewards were rude and offhand. Three out of four of our entertainment systems and reading lights didn't work and when we asked to be moved they were uninterested and told us there was nothing that could be done and we should just rest! This was a daytime flight with a 6-year old and a 13-year old. We were told to try and get compensation once we were back home.

For price reasons I travelled Vietnam Airlines last week from Paris - Bangkok (via Hanoi) - Sydney (via Ho Chi Minh) - Paris (via Ho Chi Minh). 1 month ago I travelled Paris - Hanoi return as well. Both times Business class. Service excellent, food and wine very good selection, noodle soups as snacks available throughout the 13 hour flight served by a smiling crew. Only negative is the flight entertainment system which had the same films for all the above cited flights. Crew told me that the programmes only change every 3 to 4 months due to cost reasons - take your own DVDs along.

Unremarkable short hop from Vientiane to Phnom Penh. Clean comfortable cabin, friendly cabin crew. Belgian (I think) captain gave occasional information.

SGN to HAN return: Clean 777 each way with competent FA's. Left on time and arrived on time. Vietnam Airlines SMS'd a flight change the way they promised and did so well in advance. Stay away from starboard row 28. There's lots of leg room, since it's an exit row, but the passenger seats have been "minimized" to accommodate flight attendant seating and are a bit snug for an average sized Westerner.

3 adults had 4 flights in Business Class Melbourne SGN, SGN Moscow, Frankfurt SGN, SGN Melbourne over September/October. Service on all flights excellent, standout was crew on Frankfurt - SGN leg where staff addressed all by name over course of flight. IFE on all flights ok with good range of movies, food plentiful and good quality, wines good and water provided without request and often. Ground staff helpful in all instances - flights on time and cabins in good shape.

Returned from Hanoi on a very worn out B777. Food was passable. When we discovered that all 3 consoles in our row did not work we asked to move as there appeared to be lots of empty seats, requested 2 seats together. The crew member said initially that this was not possible but then said that she had found a pair of seats. My husband went to look and by that time someone else had taken the seats, another row with one person sprawled across three seats, the flight was not full. Eventually the Consoles did work but not for most of the 12 hour flight, when it did finally work I missed the last 45 minutes of a film as the crew collected the headphones. Waited for the loo for ages, told a crew member that someone had been in there for a long time and hoped they were OK. Steward knocked on door, no response so he opened it to discover it empty, problem with a broken lock! I don't think it was used after that.

Flew SGN-HAN on a relatively old but well enough maintained B777. Food was pretty good and the FAs were pleasant. Flight left on time and luggage came out quickly. My only complaint is about the standard of food in the business class lounge. Otherwise very good.

I flew SYD-SGN-HAN-SGN then REP-SGN-SYD and was pleasantly surprised by Vietnam Airlines. The planes on the long haul sections were fairly new and comfortable with good inflight entertainment systems. Planes on the short haul sections were older with no inflight entertainment. Service was good on all flights, the planes were clean and the food ranged from good to very good.

Flew from London Gatwick to HCMC and from Hanoi to London Gatwick. On both journeys the inflight entertainment was broken leading to two very long and boring 12 hour flights. When we asked the air crew they reacted as if this was a constant problem and apologized that there was nothing they could do. That apart, the food was a decent standard, the staff were very friendly, legroom was adequate but not ideal (6ft Male). The aircraft were very dated B777 with lots of broken consoles, seats and even components held together with duct tape. We would use them again but only if there was no alternative.

Absolutely terrible service, over 48hr delay in Gatwick with little to no information provided on when/how we would get to fly to our destination. Missed a 3 day stop over in Ho Chi Minh because of this delay and the service by staff was extremely disappointing. No benefits offered when we did finally get on a new flight, lots of incorrect flight information provided and generally treated disgracefully by the airline. I was not provided with a Gluten Free meal which I requested (and require for health reasons) and we had broken entertainment systems for the 12hr leg of our journey. I would not recommend flying Vietnam Airlines.

Flew from London Gatwick to Hanoi to Saigon to HUE to Nha Trang and back to Saigon and back home and I would say that Vietnam airline is a good airline if you want a cheap flight to Southeast Asia. Staff are friendly and the food is at a good standard. Seat comfort is what you would expect for economy. Entertainment is okay but on the first flight the entertainment broke so had to entertain myself for 12 hours but overall if you want a cheap flight to Southeast Asia then I would recommend Vietnam Airlines.

Flew Melbourne to Paris return in business class. Extremely mediocre food and service on all legs bar the Paris back to Hanoi flight where they attempted to offer you your next course only once you had finished eating the one before. On all other flights the trays were presented in their entirety with offers of a first glass of wine along with tea or coffee - this on an 11 hour daytime flight. Still the cost was cheap and much lower than other airlines. It still wouldn't convince me to travel again with Vietnam as on every sector my arm rest was held together with duct tape, on one flight part of the overhead panels were also being held together with duct tape and on the 2 different aircraft's I flew on the seats were uncomfortable. The foot rests only raised off the ground marginally so even when the seat back was in full recline your body is at a crazy angle - not conducive for sleeping. One positive note - ground staff in Hanoi and HCMC (Saigon) were first class.

We booked our flight in April to fly direct from Gatwick to HCM. The inflight entertainment was hit and miss - I'd say about 50% on the back seat screens probably had some sort of problem. Food on the flight out was better than the return and the staff although polite on the way out, were friendlier on our return. The seats and leg room were what you would expect from economy class. Both of our flights left and arrived on time. My only real gripe with VA is that nowhere through the online booking process did it state that we needed a visa for Vietnam. Having looked again at their site, it is still very unclear.

SYD-SGN-SYD. Really nice flights. The food was fairly good, but some meals were just plain. The seats were fairly wide, and had a larger than usual amount of leg-space, which I appreciated. Unlike some other airlines, the seats didn't make me fidget or get up as often as others, and they were quite comfortable to sleep in, for economy. Overall a great airline to fly to SE Asia.

London Gatwick to Bangkok via Hanoi. No online check in but can check in at least 5 hours before flight at London Gatwick. Food ok. Staff friendly and Hanoi airport is cheap. Some shops don't except Pounds. A great airline at a great price. The fare was only £80 but with tax and fees it came to £480.

Flying Gatwick to Bangkok: First flight cabin crew stingy with drinks and coffee. All crew seemed miserable and keen to get lights off so that they could ignore you. My sons entertainment console locked up and despite repeated requests crew did nothing. Crew managed to ignore the attention light for a good 30 minutes. Second flight eating tray was broken so could not sit together as a family. Return flight entertainment console broken so either sit apart or no entertainment. Same level of miserable service. When meal served one side of the plane got top up drinks and other didn't suggesting lax systems. Would avoid unless cheaper than any other airline.

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