Vietnam Airlines Customer Reviews and Vietnam Airlines Passenger Trip Reports

Vietnam Airlines customer travel guide

Vietnam Airlines 3-Star Airline Ranking

Vietnam Airlines Business Class Lounge Reviews

Vietnam Airlines Economy class seat reviews

Vietnam Airlines Business class Seat reviews

Vietnam Airlines Passenger Seat recommendations

Vietnam Airlines Aircraft Seat Plans

We travelled Australia to Frankfurt via HCM and London to Australia via Hanoi and cannot complain. We were met in HCM taken through airport to hotel for 8 hr layover, fed and taken back to Airport. On way back London Gatwick via Frankfurt to Australia we had great crew good meals. Yes seats not lie flat but good all the same. Service was friendly especially on Hanoi-Sydney leg. Yes planes not the newest but great leg room and food good. Overall would highly recommend them as alternative Australia to UK, Europe, Airline. Bonus if Flying Business class out of Sydney you use the Qantas Business lounge at Sydney.

We flew 4 legs between Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh and Ho Chi Minh and Cam Ranh. All the airplanes were new and reasonably clean. Sufficient leg room. Service was efficient though not overly friendly. We got the special meals we had asked for on the international leg. Flights were pretty much on time, and check in was quick and easy. Baggage arrived without much delay. No complaints.

Flew several domestic flights and BKK-HCMC. Domestic flights on new A320, only bottled water offered. Staff friendly, As a Sky team elitePlus member no access to lounge on domestic flights, however they do offer Sky priority at check in. No mileage for lowest booking classes, but tickets were very cheap. From BKK to HCMC a small hot meal was offered and variety of drinks including beer was available. Lounge in BKK shared with AF/KL and offered a variety of drinks and quite descent food. All in all a 3* product.

SGN to Colombo and return. Smiling staff and friendly service. A pretty good meal on a fairly short flight with beer and wine included. Clean, spiffy, if not new Airbus equipment on both legs. Highly recommended.

Ho Chi Minh to Bangkok. Flight time is so short (~65 mins) but full service with food, tea and coffee. Cabin attendants but take care passenger well. Entertainment is nothing, should have some short videos for relax.

Melbourne to HCMC on the 30th of April. Absolutely fabulous and best value for money. On time, great food, smiling attentive service, clean plane and clean toilet. Vietnam makes a nice stopover on the way to Europe and all in all, a great way to fly.

London-Ho Chi Minh-Danang-Ho Chi Minh-Frankfurt-London. Flew out premium economy to Ho Chi Minh. I was presently surprised. Premium economy seats had a lot of leg room and separate cabin. Service very good, food acceptable, drinks brought constantly, they did run out of gin, beer and sparkling wine. However we went to the rear galley of economy and they let us help ourselves to the bottle! Sandwiches also served. Crew were pleasant, sometimes off hand. However as tvs don't work and the plane is in need of refurbishment. Both internal flights in economy, newer clean planes, service good, left on time. Return flight via Frankfurt, upgraded to business with option town, resulted in return journey costing only £140 more each than premium. Lots of leg room, seat not flat but enabled us to sleep. Food ok, service good at meal and drinks time but didn't see them for 6 hours - everyone was sleeping. Most of the plane was held together by tape and it was dirty. TV worked in business but kept falling over! Not sure I would fly with them again.

Back to Germany from SGN to FRA on B777-300 in Economy Deluxe. There's nothing negative to say about the flight - I could sleep all the time between dinner and breakfast. Food service was good and for the night every passenger got a bottle of water. If you want to have anything else to drink the crew reacted very soon and come to the seat.

Flying from FRA to SIN via HAN on board B777-200 and A321. The crew on the long haul flight from FRA to HAN was very friendly and attentive. The food and beverages were more than enough with a very good choice between different kinds of meals. The staff in Hanoi was very helpful and guided me personally to the transfer counter and the security check - so everything was easy to find. The short flight from HAN to SIN (2.5 hours) on A321 was excellent. Staff were friendly and cared about passengers. Beside the short flight there were printed menu cards and a choice between three menus. Both flights were on time and gave me a very good impression of VNA.

The long haul from Gatwick to Ho Chi Min City was appalling. We took off at 12 noon, were fed at about 1pm (barely edible), we hardly saw a member of the cabin crew until they gave us breakfast 10 hours later. The inflight entertainment did not function, and the end of the arm rest was broken and with sharp edges protruding, it was reluctantly taped at the third time of asking. The cabin lights were turned off until we were given breakfast. They were treating it as a night flight. The seat was uncomfortable and the general condition of the plane was shabby and grubby. It was a dreadful trip, the cabin crew, when they did appear, were unhelpful at best. Their internal flights were much better. Counter staff said there were no premium economy seats available, this was untrue.

London Gatwick - Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh - London Gatwick. Direct flights and choice of seats are the only positive points. Crew are quite surly and, as said before, not seen for hours after meals are served. On both flights, one of our screens was not working as were quite a few others. When people called the crew, they kept saying they will reboot the system but never came back to check so we assumed that either they did not bother looking into it or they knew it was hopeless! Also we flew over 2 different months but the films were not changed with limited choice. Food was awful both Asian or Western style and drinks choice limited. Will not fly again with Vietnam Airlines and will not recommend.

LGW to Hanoi. Very poor flight, no entertainment on any of the screens, plane scruffy, toilets dirty, staff not seen unless dishing out food and drink, very small amount of drink given and only came round once. Seats very small and not much leg room, and I am only 5ft 2. Internal flights were 100 per cent better. Would not fly with Vietnam Airlines long haul again. Flight home to LGW was no better.

London Gatwick Ho Chi Minh City economy. Only airline offering (twice weekly) direct flight, but service so poor advise avoiding. The food was OK, no drink offered beforehand, wine with meal was less than half full plastic beaker, the crew disappeared for next 8 hours. Worse, they first shut the window blinds and turned off the lights - it was 12 noon departure from London but crew presumably on Vietnam + 6 hours time - and the overhead lights didn't work. Called crew who confirmed they don't work, thanks, and failed to understand the concept of reporting a fault. And, the entertainment system didn't work so 8 hours in the dark in undersized seat with no entertainment or reading light. Fortunately, we had two torches so read by torch light. Traveller's tip : take a miner's lamp if you fly Vietnam Airlines.

Overall the flights were good except for our trip home. The plane looked like it hadn't been serviced, there were crumbs still on the floor and dirty marks on the screens and trays. Staff did what they needed and were pleasant. When checking in I asked for a window seat not on the wings I still got seated right on top of the wings, maybe a language barrier but this did happen on 3 occasions. The internal flights in Vietnam were fine.

I fly VN502/503, HCMC to BAIYUN, Guangzhou at least 2 times per month for the last 2 years. Tan Son Nhat airport is very busy with tourists, Vietnam airlines check-in staff are incredibly slow and unfriendly. 3 Business Class check-in counters remain open and free, not processing the very long lines of economy passengers that often delay these flights. Always have to stand on a hot, crowded, jam packed bus on the tarmac before and after each flight. Aircraft dirty, toilets disgusting on these VN to China flights. Cabin Crew surly, unhelpful and safety is not a priority. Food is horrible. Cabin attendants disappear after shovelling the food out.

Long haul flight from Gatwick to Ho Chi Min in an old aircraft. Apart from dishing out obligatory drink and meals, did not see cabin crew until time to land. They seemed indifferent and uninterested in passenger welfare or need. Had to help ourselves to drinks (as did other passengers from a tray left in serving place). Cabin crew were solemn faced. Would not fly again or recommend.

Sydney-Saigon. Aircraft seemed pretty new. Everything worked. Food of adequate standard. On time. Seat pretty cramped but typical. Service polite and efficient but not friendly. Saigon-Hanoi: Old clunky aircraft. Video screens and audio did not work properly. Meal not heated properly. Hanoi-Hoi An: Cambodian Air plane. Seemed pretty new. Everything worked Only water and wipes on one hour flight. Hoi An - Saigon: Old, clunky aircraft. Only water and wipes on this flight. Saigon - Sydney: Another old aircraft. Seat old. Delayed half hour. A hole in armrest where some button had once been. Screen small and would not stow in seat. Picture on screen poor. Games control button deeply encrusted with filth. Edge of tray broken and very uncomfortable to use. Food was served hot and of acceptable quality. Fairly cramped and uncomfortable. Usual efficient service.

Singapore to Hanoi return. An acceptable service for the money paid, staff tried really hard, aircraft getting on a bit, so entertainment poor for a 3hr flight, but not a deal clincher. Would certainly fly Vietnam again.

Business on domestic flights excellent, with real BC seat. On the international flight from Hanoi to Paris we disliked the seat, very hard, an angle of only 156°, decades behind other Asian carriers. Food very mediocre and limited choice. No wine list, and asking for a dry white Bordeaux, we got a dessert wine. We refused it and was changed for a white burgundy. The VOD was not working, so sleeping was the only impossible alternative, but seen the poor seat and with the passenger in front almost on your knees, makes sleeping almost impossible.

I travelled back home in business class with a broken collarbone and ribs on the flight form Ho Chi Minh City to Paris. Although I was mentioned as a passenger needing medical assistance, I never got any support from staff on the plane. Upon arrival the other passengers had to help me get with hand luggage and with my clothes. I find this absolutely unacceptable.

SIN-HAN. Experience ok, food good. Took over an hour and a half to collect meal trays after service. Leading to a 20+ person queue for bathrooms. Hostess's did job without being friendly or smiling. Left and landed on time.

HKK - Hanoi on 30th Jan, then Hanoi-Danang 1st Feb, Danang-BKK (via HCM) on Feb 7th. All routes were on relatively new looking A321s or A320s. International service was good with decent entertainment and food. Flights from their hubs (Hanoi and HCM) were on time but our Danang-HCM leg was delayed 90 mins with no explanation. We had lounge access in HCM which was comfortable, though the drinks selection was poor. Danang airport was very nice in contrast to HCM and Hanoi especially - very old and a terrible waiting area for domestic flights. The HCM domestic-international transfer requires you to leave switch terminals by walking outside. Overall, however, a good experience and recommended for domestic/regional routes.

In Feb 2013 we took four flights with VN and two with their codeshare partner Cambodia Angkor Air (49% owned by VN). These flights were SIN-HAN, HAN-HUI, HUI-SGN, SGN - REP and return (K6 flights), and SGN- SIN. We were travelling in Business Class, but we were very impressed with VN's (and K6's) overall performance. AF and KLM could learn from the way in which VN handle priority boarding and (except on one flight) baggage handling. A couple of the A321s were brand new, the others in good condition. The food was well judged for the length of flight and time of day. We had supper in Hanoi with friends who had travelled LGW-HAN the previous night, one couple in Business Clas, one in Premium Economy (called De Luxe by VN). Their comments backed up those who refer to IFE systems not working on VN's long-haul flights.

LGW-HAN and SGN to LGW. Both flights departed and arrived on time. No problem getting window seats / seats together, no unexpected stops. Crew did their jobs to an 'acceptable' standard, one or two were quite good. Upholstery had seen better days and the first set of headphones we got on the way out were dodgy. Food was fine - two choices at each meal and no problem pre-ordering a vegetarian meal. Films were 2012 releases and, a new one on me, they have selectable camera views from the cockpit and beneath the plane which can be quite dramatic during take-off and landing. Direct flights saved us a lot of time and airline choice saved us a lot of money - would definitely use again.

SGN to Danang return on Airbus 321. Avoid seat 39 on the starboard bulkhead. It does not recline. Clean airplanes and OK cabin staff. Return flight to SGN left 30 minutes late because of late equipment arrival, which seems to happen a lot with VN Air later in the day. Insipid, annoying background music while boarding and disembarking. Every carrier plays it and I do not understand why. My inflight experience is certainly not enhanced.

Very good direct flights, Gatwick to Hanoi and then Ho Chi Min back to Gatwick, both direct. Seats were comfortable despite 10 hours one way and 12 coming back. Service very good.

Awful experience. Had an early morning flight from Phu Quoc to Ho Chi Minh City, with a connecting flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang. The plane never turned up and passengers were told an hour after departure time that the flight had been cancelled with no announcements prior to this. Went to the service counter to ask to be put on the next flight to Ho Chi Minh but were told we were not in the system so there was nothing they would do. Service staff were extremely rude and unhelpful. Next flight left and we finally got put on a flight later that day by which time we had missed our connecting flight. The later flight was also delayed 2 hours with barely any explanation made to passengers.

Very happy with the flight and the service. Excellent value for money! London Gatwick to Hanoi, but both outward and return flights ran to time, there was adequate legroom and the food and service was very good. True, there did seem to be the odd screen that was stuck on games, and we also had the same films on the way back as those seen 3 weeks earlier, but since the return flight left at midnight and arrived at 6.30 it didn't matter. The landing at Gatwick with a full plane was one of the most gentle I have ever experienced. In terms of value this was unbeatable! I would definitely fly with VA again. We also took short flights to Luang Prabang and from Siem Reap, and again very punctual.

HKG-SGN-HKG in Business Class. I was completely satisfied with the service, on-time performance, and food and wine. On the Ho Chi Minh City-Hong Kong flight the service was exceptional with a charm, efficiency, and elegance rarely found with the larger major world airlines these days. The lunch menu was remarkable with 3 good choices covering Asian and Western needs. Both my flights that I travelled on were exactly on time. The only downside to the flights was the use of a shared 'business lounge' in Hong Kong. However, the Vietnam Airlines lounge at Saigon Airport is perfectly fine for working and for refreshments. From this experience I think I shall look to use VN Airlines for business travel again.

5th December 2012, LGW to Hanoi. On time departure, extra leg room seat as requested, entertainment not great - very tired but food was good and staff were friendly. All in all excellent value for money. These are the first of the 777s so need a refit sooner rather than later but all in all pretty good service.

Business class SGN-SYD, 28/1. Traveling alone with 2 children. I booked 3 seats in a row, 3A, 3C and 3D. Plan was to sit 2 year old next to window as quiet and dark and therefore hopefully (for everyone's sake) she would sleep! At departure gate I was told seat 3A is broken and given new boarding cards, all in different parts of the cabin. I explained my 2 year old could not sit alone, however no alternative could be found except me in the 'broken' seat next to her. Cant understand why departure staff could not have rearranged seating prior to gate to accommodate us together. IFE terrible, seats, even those that worked, were hard and uncomfortable. This airline is deteriorating each year.

Flew on a range of domestic and international flights: Hanoi-Nha Trang-Ho Chi Minh City-Melbourne. The HAN-NHA flight was terrible. The plane was hot and the meal was horrible. The second flight from NHA-SGN was only a short flight. The planes were clean on both domestic legs. On the international flight from SGN- MEL, the A330-200 was extremely cramped. The food was reasonably good. The AVOD is poor however and constantly freezes despite the cabin crew's best efforts to fix it. The cabin crew were quite friendly on this leg.

In past 6 months i have flown 6 international flights and 4 domestic flights with Vietnam Airlines. Have flown Frankfurt to Hanoi return. Hanoi to Nha Trang. Hanoi to Da Nang. and Hanoi to Bangkok return. Very friendly staff and excellent food onboard. Will be flying them again soon to Hanoi.

January 5 2013. LGW-SGN-DAD / HUI-SGN-LGW. Swissport ground staff at LGW very unapproachable and cold faced. Boarding was smooth at least. Vietnam Airlines operate very tired looking 777-200ers, 3-3-3 config. Cabin crew on all sectors were unfriendly and lacked common knowledge of the English language. LGW-SGN flight left on time and lunch was thrown out by the crew with a selection of drinks. Inflight entertainment is a small screen with about 4 channels if they are working. Don't bother using your call bell, we did not see the crew in the cabin for about 9 hours. Prior to take off none of the crew checked seatbelts / seats upright / electronic equipment etc. Seatbelt sign came on throughout the flight which nobody checked. Upon Landing baggage was in the aisles, blankets not stowed away. Vietnam airlines domestic product is dreadful - old A321s and no service on a 1hr 20 flight - a bottle of water and a wet wipe. HUI-LGW via SGN - similarly dissatisfied service, flights on time to say the least. Cabin was extremely hot on SGN-LGW sector, asked 3 times to turn it down but this request ignored. I shall never travel with them again.

SGN-BKK-SGN, A321. Both flights were on time. Service was excellent and the staff very friendly and enthusiastic. Though the flight time was only about 1.5 hours, VN provides a choice between two different meals and many different beverages. A good choice for travel within South East Asia.

London Gatwick to Hanoi return. On the way out there were no PTVs, the mainscreen TV's did not work, the cabin was incredibly hot, and the toilet behind my seat was broken. The seats were in poor condition. On arrival we waited over an hour for our baggage with no explanation or apology. I paid for a standby upgrade option on the way back, and asked to upgrade to business class at the Vietnam Airlines desk in Hanoi airport, but was told it was full. I later discovered this not to be the case. Only mainscreen TV's on the way back although the TV in the aisle did work this time. There were no midflight snack sandwiches on this flight, but the Asian option of pot noodles I did not want. On arrival to LGW we were told that not all the baggage had been put on the plane and were given forms to fill in. We spent 4 hours in the airport queuing to hand in our forms.

HCMC - Paris. Though VN Airlines say they have web check in, the facility on their website does not function, and they have no web check-in desks at the airport. Entertainment non existent and silence from the flight deck. Minimal food/beverages provided, and all in all a long boring and uncomfortable flight - not to be recommended.

We used Vietnam Airlines for 2 domestic flights and one short international flight (Hanoi-Siam Reap). All flights were on time and used fairly new Airbus aircraft. Legroom was quite limited but no worse than other short haul flights. Inflight service was limited to a small bottle of water on the domestic flights; we got a small meal on the international flight but the quality was very poor even by airline food standards. I suggest eating beforehand - though not at the airport, as options for food/drink at airports in Vietnam were surprisingly bad for a country with such great food. I bought the tickets on the Vietnam Airlines website without any problems; the domestic flights were very good value (about $60 each), the international flights rather less so.

London Gatwick to HCMC on 19 Dec 2012, returned 5 Jan 2013. Booked seats in Deluxe Economy giving you a little more seat space and leg room. As soon as we boarded (both flights on time) and took our seats we were offered juice or water and a cold towel wipe. Staff brought round the menu's and you could chose from an Asian or European style meal. The food was good, and you got metal cutlery! You could also chose drinks from beers, wines, spirits, soft drinks - all free of charge. After dinner the lights dimmed enabling you to sleep and take advantage of the complimentary pillows and blankets or make use of the in-flight entertainment with complimentary headphones. During the flight staff didn't always come round, sometimes you had to go to them or press your attention button. A couple of hours from the end of the flight breakfast was served, again a choice between an Asian or European style meal. Overall our flight was great, I would definitely fly with them again and upgrading to Deluxe Economy seems to be the way forward. We also had an internal flight from Nha Trang to HCMC this was 30 mins delayed but staff were friendly and the flight was good.

DAD-SGN. Short flight from Da Nang to Saigon on new A320 aircraft. Our original flight was cancelled so we were put on the later flight. Fearing we would miss our connection to Dubai at Ho Chi Minh we suggested we all take more hand luggage. Check in people said they would ensure our bags got there quickly and gave our checked bags business class tags and put us near the front of the plane. Service on board was simple but acceptable for short flight. Very comfortable. When we landed we were all allowed to travel with the business customers on the first coach to the baggage reclaim. Bags were first off within 3 minutes of arriving. Very impressed. We did not miss our connection!

LGW-BKK via SGN. Plane was very old and looked unclean. Seats were rock hard and leg room was insufficient due to some a box under the seat in front of me. No entertainment apart from big screen at front of plane. Food and staff on board ok. At check in I asked for exit row seats and was told they were all taken, I couldn't understand as I was first in the queue for check in and there was no web check in. Would not recommend.

Flew economy on domestic A321 from Danang to Hanoi. Plane was in a good condition. Leg space was really good, more than larger carriers' economy class. Though it was a short flight, no food was provided. A packet of snacks or a sandwich would be great. Service was good. Flight was smooth. The only thing was that the flight I originally booked for was cancelled so I had to take the later flight.

Flew Gatwick - Bangkok (via Hanoi) and returned via Ho Chi Minh City. Going out was fine, flight was fine, food fine, although entertainment system awful and old, about 3 choices of film which for a 13 hour flight is not sufficient. Coming home awful. Woman dropped my boyfriends passport down the side of her desk, finally mechanics came and took the desk apart and found the passport. Got to Ho Chi Minh City, was 9.30pm, flight to Gatwick was due to be midnight, but had been delayed to 9am next day. Waited 3 hours in airport to be told what was going on, not offered any water, no shops to buy anything. Then taken to a hotel. The next day coming back sat around for 2 hours without being told what was going on. No apologies or anything. The most disorganised airline. Will never use again.

PRG-CDG-HAN, skyteam elite member. Economy class segment: PRG-CDG on Airbus a321. Seat ok. Had emergency exit seat (not upon request). No seat in front so leg space enough. No view outside due to lack of window. 4 small biscuits as a snack - poor for a 1.5 hr flight. Stopover in CDG: a nice 30 min walk between the 2 gates. In the mean time went to the check in counter to ask for a window seat. Upon arrival at the gate I asked about the seat and immediately received upgrade to economy plus cabin. I took advantage of the possibility to go to the Air France lounge. Seat was great, legroom more than ok. Food is as usual on VN very good. Rice noodles upon request during the night. PTV (a little outdated system that takes time to get along with). Overall a good experience.

Just had a return trip LGW-BKK, out via Hanoi, return via HCMC. Outward flight was approx 1 hour late from LGW, within an hour of the flight we had been given the food! Menu for the opposite direction and I had sussed out my in flight entertainment didn't work, when meals were served I was asked what I wanted from the menu! I told them and they didn't have it, the correct menu was taped to the trolley. In Hanoi I had a 3 hour connection, you can't change money 'airside' in Vietnam meaning I couldn't eat or drink. Return journey connection was also 3 hours in HCMC but was actually 11.5 hours, we were put up in a hotel but it took almost 3 hours for Vietnam airlines to organise it. When we eventually got going there was no apology from cabin crew or captain of plane and arrived LGW 15.20 instead of 06.45 on Dec 1st.

Flew Sydney-HMC-London in September (inflight entertainment did not work). Returned in November (inflight entertainment did not work), seemed like this was pretty normal as none of the cabin crew seemed surprised. Wife became ill on the flight and noticing that there were very few in business class, I asked if she could be moved to get some fresher air (just until she felt better) I was given an abrupt 'these seats are only for business class passengers'.

Flew business class end October, Paris-Hanoi-Sydney and Sydney-HCMH-Paris in business class. A main reason for using VN long haul to Asia is that you get 12hrs legs which allows for good time to work, eat watch movie and get real night sleep. Love the noodle snack option. 777's are dated, the IFE gets changed every couple of months so on my itinerary I quickly ran out of options. You get 6-8 hours transit time in Vietnam allowing a quick visit to downtown. All in all I find VN business service good value for money.

HAN to HCMC return. Cabin crew were friendly, provided food and drinks on request. Aircraft was okay and the in-flight entertainment was old and did not work both ways. The food was fine although they did run up of the European option as it was popular on the return flight. 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.

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