Vietnam Airlines

✅ Verified Review | London Heathrow to Ho chi Minh City. The Boeing 787 business class seat on Vietnam Airlines is good, however service is still maddening and erratic. Some FA clearly are wanting to be somewhere else rather than serving you, and mistakes are often made even when requests are written down. There is a degree of shambolic carelessness which spoils the service in almost every action, from being unable to understand the announcements to not knowing how to serve cheese, to forgetting drinks, or the order that food is served (and in piecemeal fashion). If you can overlook the ambivalent service then the food is tolerable (think somewhere between Y and J), the appalling wine selection and the friendliness dependant upon the FA in question. Announcements are minimal (suits me as I couldn't understand them anyway). IFE selection is poor, headsets are what you'd expect in economy class. At the end of the day it's a flat bed seat for cheap, so I guess I can't expect too much.

✅ Verified Review | Paris to Hong Kong via Ho Chi Minh City. Big snow in Paris meant long delays. Check-in was quick and painless in the dedicated zone in Terminal 2E.Passport control) and PIF though were another story. Completely not ready to handle the crowd. It took at least 35 minutes to get your passport checked. Staff in Air France's Hall M lounge though were well equipped and well briefed. We were kept until the last minute before being asked to proceed to the boarding gate some 2 hours after the original departure time. Once on board, it took a further 1 hour to wait for ground handlers to push our aircraft back. The pilot kept us informed and cabin crew kept everyone's glasses full during the wait. Once in the air, they skipped the bar service since everyone was hungry after a 3.5 hours delay and the main meal was served. It was nothing special and nor was the breakfast served 90 minutes before landing in Saigon. Cabin crew were courteous and functional but no too friendly or warm. They got the job done efficiently though. Seats on the A350 turned into a flat bed but they have a different layout than the 787s. They are narrower with fewer leg space it seems. Good for a night sleep nonetheless. Toilets were not too tidy and lacking in amenities. IFE has very few programs but nowadays with a good book and movies on your tablet, it doesn't really matter. Flight at the end arrived with 2.5 hours delay but no-one was helping mis connecting passengers upon arrival in Saigon. A mad dash through security and a 30 minute delay of the connecting flight meant I got on mine no problem. The short hop to Hong Kong was just a normal commuter flight with a standard meal, very standard service and little amenities to write about.

✅ Verified Review | The Vietnam Airlines flight from Phu Quoc to HCMC is short and nothing special. But the check in service was horrible. After waiting in line the counter said we had to go to a different location as they only handled check in and not inquiries. We went to the Vietnam Airlines counter and the gentleman there said he would not look up our flight based on passport because it was too much work for him and that I had to dig out my reservation code. After all that he said we could book an earlier flight but we would be downgraded and forfeit the difference in price. The message was delivered with a smirk and absolutely no empathy. Disappointing.

✅ Verified Review | Third trip to Europe in business class with Vietnam Airlines, from Melbourne to London Heathrow via Ho Chi Minh City. Previously travelled on old A330s, old B777 and new A350. This trip was in Boeing 787's whichare new with lie flat seats. We like travelling on VN in business because the costs are half of what we'd be paying on the others such as Qantas, SIA etc. We checked in at the priority line in MEL and were through passport control quickly. We had breakfast in the Qantas business lounge. That was quite good. The flight left MEL on time It's a great feeling being able to turn left and head for the pointy end of the plane. I so dread economy! The new Boeing 787 was very nice. Food was very nice and service was fine. Only issue was the lack of decent music, TV shows and movies on the IFE. They need to look at this. Before we arrived we were offered a second meal. Not really required as I wasn't that hungry after the first meal. We landed safely in SGN and were met by the transit agent who got us through immigration and off to a nice four star hotel in the city. We declined the free city tour and meal but enjoyed a shower and rest in the hotel for 5 hours. That's the only real negative about flying Vietnam Airlines to Europe from Australia. The layovers are too long. Agent picked us up in the foyer of the hotel at the arranged time and got us back to the airport where we were through passport control and into the lounge in 15 minutes. Second flight to London Heathrow was also in a Boeing 787. Because it was now around midnight we were tired and slept most of the way. The lie flat seats were very good and much better than sitting in a cramped economy seat. I remember dreading the thought as I lay relaxed on my back! Before arrival in LHR we were served an adequate breakfast. Again the IFE options were lacking.

✅ Verified Review | Travelled Hue to Ho Chi Minh City after weeks of very heavy rains and floods in Hue. Flight was only 15 minutes delayed, which is acceptable. Check-in took only seconds. Baggage included. No service onboard the A321 - a single FA could have done the whole plane instead of the four hanging in the galley. Price only 30 USD – bought in a promotional period.

Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City. We have just returned from a holiday and some volunteering in Vietnam and had 7 flights with Vietnam Airlines. All the planes were clean. Food was okay. The flight attendants were in most cases very unfriendly and lacked any real rapport with the customers. They often were absent from the Economy sections for extended periods and it was almost impossible to get a second coffee or wine. Even water was difficult to get from them. Customer service in Vietnam is generally very good so it was a surprise to find this unfriendly aloof approach from the cabin staff. Probably wouldn't be my first choice in airlines.

✅ Verified Review | Cam Ranh to Ho Chi Minh City. During the descent toward Ho Chi Minh City from Nha Trang, the aircraft encountered strong turbulence unexpectedly. On two occasions, the plane dropped suddenly in altitude resulting in a number of passengers screaming. There was no warning of incoming turbulence, which made passengers more afraid than they would have been otherwise. There were no explanations or apologies from the crew. I left comments to the airline when arrived at the airport but never heard from them.

Sydney to London via Ho Chi Minh City. I've flown business class on Vietnam Airlines a number of times (6 trips in 12 months) and until they sort out staff training and airport facilities - and the stopover provisions when flying from London they will never be a credible option for business class travel. There is always a massive time deferential in the flights that stop at Ho Chi Minh - sometimes 12 or more hours wait for the continuing flight - yet the lounge at the international airport, now operated by Sasco, is uncomfortable, makeshift and cheap. A free transfer to a hotel is only provided one way from London, and not at all if you book directly with Vietnam, yet if you book via a travel agent in Sydney it's both ways. If you try and arrange a hotel through them it is insanely difficult, yet book from Germany and you can cheaply add a stopover to your flight. Some standardisation is required. Staff at check-in at Sydney airport are pretty good although for some reason assumed we were flying other than business - in the sky priority queue - and directed us to a woman who didn't have any of the bits and pieces required to check-in business passengers. Not a problem, expect that they made it seem as if we'd gone to the wrong counter. No apology. Attempted to use priority lane at SGN only to be told by clueless passport control that I had to be flying Vietnam Business. No apology when I pointed to the ticket in his hand and said I was. Sure customs aren't the airline - but this airline is state-owned. The female staff were rude when I attempted to enter the lounge using my Platinum lotus miles card - my fault as I assumed once you reached platinum you could use the lounge no matter what - however I did have business class tickets with Vietnam. Platinum status means nothing to them here. The ground staff service really drags Vietnam down. The staff passed to tickets to a male colleague who wrote down our names - which has never been done before and was not done to other passengers. No response when I asked what they were doing. Overall it's worth flying businesss with Vietnam if you want a lie-flat bed, but don't expect much more.

Sydney to Ho Chi Minh City. I have been flying regularly with Vietnam Airlines for more than 10 years. They have come a very long way, and the brand new B787, introduced this month to SYD, is exceptional. With new aircraft, not only are the passengers happier, but the staff seem much more attentive to service given the new environment. They seemed really proud of the improvement. The seats throughout are a vast improvement and are right up there with Singapore Airlines and the rest. I flew Premium economy and the seat was spacious and comfortable, and I am not a small framed man. Food was as good as previously and the IFE leaves the old systems for dead. Movie choice was good, screen excellent and headphones very good. I leave for Paris shortly and I look forward to my next journey. Particularly since I upgraded to Business Class. I must say that it intrigues me when I read reviews which criticise the service on Vietnam Airlines. I find the staff attentive, but not over patronising, which I prefer. I find the professional purring and fake smiles on some airlines just over the top. I do not expect the staff to become my new best friends when I fly, and I am happy with basic professional and polite service, and that is what you get on Vietnam Airlines. I am one very happy customer.

I'm an expat living in Vietnam, commuting to Australia 5 times a year on contract work. The only reason I choose this airline is the short layover in Saigon, 30kg check in and reasonable costs for additional weight. There is one other option I'll mention later. Since April 2013 I have flown with Vietnam Airlines 40 or 50 + times on domestic and international routes and I fly down the back in coach. Where to start? Flights to and from Australia are currently using the oldest planes in the fleet. That's evident in the tatty appearance and antiquated entertainment system (pictured). The movie selection, number of movies as well as the system itself is totally inferior to any other airline that I have flown with. Because videos are on a loop (no fast forward, pause or rewind) you have to start watching a movie after it has already started or wait for it to start again. March 13 2016 I flew on VN773. When we were able to use the system all movies were already started, 10 or 15 minutes in and no way for crew to reset. On VN772 on June 20 the two middle rows closest had 1 screen out of the 6 working and two mums working hard to entertain young kids. On VN773 flight on July 20 two of the three entertainment systems in the row behind me weren't working.  On my August 16 VN773 overnight flight my screen just displayed static (pictured) and could not be turned off.  The seat to my left also had a non operational screen.  Inflight meals are nowhere near as good now as what they were and even if you request the likes of a vegetarian meal I've found on a number of occasions that that can be a lucky dip. I've even shown my confirmation, including a vegetarian meal being ordered and confirmed, and been told that I should have rung the day before to check. Pardon me? Vietnam Airlines is supposed to be full service, not a low cost carrier. Crew in coach smile a lot but they are very hard to find and really don't seem to understand what service is all about. Emailed complaints fall on deaf ears and take up to 6 weeks to reply to. I've emailed on a half dozen occasions and replies are similar and sometimes a copy/paste from previous emails, Dear sir, after receiving your letter, we have forwarded your comments to technical departments requesting to correct the errors and to take measure to avoid these inconveniences in the future.If they had then I wouldn't constantly bang on about the same things. These planes are flying 16 hours out of 24 with no time for maintenance on the entertainment system. At least from September 18 2016 Cathay Pacific has increased to 30 kg of check in luggage and reduced the cost of their excess so there is another, vastly superior, airline to consider.