Vietnam Airlines

VN610 BKK-HAN with A321 window seat 26A. Everything worked as expected. The flight was on time both for departure and landing. Check-in security boarding as well as disembarkation and baggage retrieval worked without a hitch. On-board service was competent and caring. No complaints at all for Economy Class you can't do much better than that. The stewardesses were not very helpful unless you asked them to help. Service was normal with no extra smiles. There was no inflight entertainment.

Despite having 6 seats booked in business class including a black card holder (and two 80 year olds I might add) our 5.30pm flight was cancelled and we were moved to a 10.30pm one without so much as an email text or phone call. The VN airlines representative was most unaccommodating and the service was absolutely unacceptable. After numerous phone calls we were able to arrange 6 economy class seats on a 7.45pm flight: with just a 30 usd refund per ticket. Essentially we were made to pay excess baggage for our business class baggage allowance following this downgrade. As frequent flyers we of course anticipate that many delays are unavoidable however it is entirely unacceptable to not inform passengers as soon as a delay is announced especially if it is 5 hours late!

Very similar review to a recent Australian traveller. Flew MEL-LGW via SGN. A330 on first leg to Ho Chi Minh City. Had breakfast in the Qantas business lounge in Melbourne prior to departure. That was nothing to write home about but better much better than waiting in the terminal. Boarded and departed on time. Aircraft was clean and comfortable. Hostesses were smiley polite and attentive. Lunch was served soon after takeoff and was enjoyable. Wines/spirits were topped up regularly. Arrived on time at Ho Chi Minh City for an eight hour layover (too long). Because we were travelling in business we were met at the transfer desk had a one day visa organised and were then taken on a tour of the city in a nice car (air-conditioned thankfully as it was so humid there). What an eye- opener that that journey was! There are 10000000 scooters in Ho Chi Minh City and we saw most of them on that 10 km journey. It was organised chaos. We enjoyed a free dinner in the Catina Hotel which was very nice and we were then taken on a walking tour to see the highlights of the city. We were then put in a car and returned to the airport where we were met by the same tour company representative who had our visa papers stamped (unbelievable bureaucracy in Vietnam) and we spent a couple of hours in Vietnam Airlines lounge. We were not hungry but enjoyed the whisky and soft drinks. The flight to London Gatwick left SGN a half hour late due to the late arrival of the incoming flight. This flight was on an older Boeing 777. We were dog-tired by then and fell asleep very soon after takeoff. We were served an adequate breakfast an hour or so before landing at Gatwick. The IFE doesn't work so they hand out Ipads but we slept. The seats were comfortable with plenty of legroom. Summary: At over half the price of the likes of Singapore Qantas Emirates etc. Vietnam Airlines represents very good value. My only negative is that the connections at SGN were too long despite being given the free city tour hotel meal a sleep in a hotel room on the return journey etc. Would go with them every time at the price I paid.

Excellent experience and am very happy to recommend. Flew round trip from Gatwick to HCMC and also took an internal flight during travels using this airline. Very smooth flight tasty food latest films. Slept 8 hours + both ways. Staff friendly. Really good value for money.

VN630 CGK-SGN 22 December 2014. Flight was almost full and departed CGK on time. No welcome drinks were offered only packaged wet towels. No individual IFE screens. The plane (A321) offered generous seat pitch and my seat was comfortable albeit understandably worn out. Lunch was served immediately after take-off. FAs were generally friendly but it seemed their English capability was quite limited. The highlight of the flight had to be the fragrant and delicious Vietnamese coffee that was served on-board! Overall I had a pleasant experience with VN.

Flew Hong Kong-Hanoi end of November. Aircraft a very well turned out A321. Seats comfortable enough. My colleague wanted an aisle seat with extra legroom (due to a leg injury) so we sat in a two seat exit row at the back which gave me a window seat - with no window! Flight attendants very smart in their traditional costumes and were attentive throughout the two hour flight. Food Vietnamese and gave me a taste of the delights to come in Vietnamese food. I watched only the moving map display on the seat back IFE so cannot comment on the programming. All told a very acceptable flight.

Business Class - Vietnam Airlines - Melbourne to HCM. Business Priority Check In Immigration Express Pass Access to Qantas Business Lounge via Voucher Priority Boarding Seating approx. 60% capacity in business with seating to the same standard as any other carrier - lie flat bed universal power points USB point IFE with a decent selection. Food and drinks service was excellent. If you want additional drinks or snacks after the main service all you have to do is press the call bell. Throughout the radio channels they remind you to do this. Business Class - Lounge Access - HCM. Lounge is easy to find and very welcoming. Its usually very quiet. Reasonable range of hot and cold snacks a make your own noodle bar and a few local food options. Toilets but no shower facilities. Most seats are big and comfy with their own power sockets and good selection of books and magazines. Lighting is a little harsh at night. Great selection of spirits and wines. Flights are announced and screens are available to check times. A quiet corner also has a massage chair for use. Its a decent lounge but after a two or three hours you will be over it. Business Class - Vietnam Airlines - HCM to London Gatwick (via Germany). These planes are older and a lot more worn out. Don't expect the same standard as the Australia flights. The seats recline well and they are very comfy but there is no power on this plane no usb sockets the IFE is unusable so they give you an iPad instead. No privacy screens. Food and drink service is excellent and staff were extremely accommodating when asked for additional wine spirits or snacks. On a couple of occasions I asked for a snack and wine and I was given a sample platter and even had my wine topped up without prompt. The stop over in Germany is seamless and pretty quick. I flew back to Melbourne from Paris via HCM. In Paris its a very confusing process to check in. This has nothing to do with Vietnam its just the way the airport is designed. Boarding was good with easy priority for business customers. Plane was again about half full. Transit Tour in HCM. Vietnam Airlines ran a special promo for long stop overs where I was met at HCM transit zone by my tour guide. They sort out your visa and escort you through the whole process. Overall Vietnam Airlines do not do themselves any favours - their website is dull and does not go to much lengths to show off the good service they provide in reality. I was pleasantly surprised with how good the whole process was and how good business class is in Vietnam Airlines.

Flew from Shanghai to HCMC. I had never flown Vietnamese Airlines before but was pleasantly surprised. The inside of the cabin was amazingly clean and the seats were very comfortable. The service was excellent as well. The food was good but not great. Where the flight was lacking is in the entertainment area. You only had the option of watching what was showing on the overhead screen. That didn't matter to me though since I bring my own entertainment on my tablet.

VN231 outbound and VN272 return. Vietnam is perhaps one of the most enchanting countries in Asia I have yet to experience yet Vietnam Airlines leaves very little to be desired - and it has everything to do with the small details from all areas ranging from their print media / safety on board video to the ever so important quality of customer service. Service in the airport and during the flight - lack of willingness to help perceived as aggressive - not customer oriented or empathetic to the needs of the customer. Food quality - Average/Normal in quality and variety. Not necessarily a critical element at this stage as there are other more significant issues at hand. Communications/Language - Poor. For an international airline this is perhaps one of the poorest airlines I have experienced in terms of listening and communicating English to international guests.

Very pleasantly surprised. Flew REP-HAN/HAN-DAD. Planes (all A321) are modern and fresh. The FAs are welcoming and despite the language barrier (expected) communications are clear and polite. Although no IFE the short trips are passed easily. The seats are the old style of Business Class. A little hard however plenty of room. The service on board is exemplary. The inflight meals have been tasty and fresh (mix Western and Vietnamese) and they are old school in actually wanting to pour more wine (decent French wines). On 2 flights they even did the old school trick of holding economy in place until Business class had collected their overhead luggage and walked from the plane. All in all above expectations.