Vietnam Airlines

Gatwick to Saigon return. Entertainment consoles not working. Food ran out and pot noodles unacceptable alternative. Staff didn't speak English very well. Several internal flights which were good and staff spoke English very well. Long haul to be avoided but internal flights recommended.

Domestic Hanoi-Dalat-Hanoi 22-25 November 14. Good hardware (all flights Airbus 321) lounges well equipped with soft drinks and beers. Other alcoholic drinks available but completely substandard. Food mediocre but options prevailed. Check in smooth efficient and call buttons on board answered within 4-8 seconds. Food onboard unbearable forget these ugly Western cold snacks. No hot dishes and no options but one useless plate of white bread sandwich which has no market neither within nor outside Vietnam - a scandal for the country. Staff alert polite limited English. IFE working but no handset speakers given. Only one terrible US entertainment movie shown. Priority embarking and disembarking - a lot of courtesy from FAs but all in all very conservative quiet experience.

LGW to HCMC - Sydney and return. Good flights on all routes pleasant staff at all times. Food was good and overall a good experience good value for money and will use again.

Flight was Sydney to Ho Chi Minh - Qantas flight on Vietnam Airlines. It was a normal economy flight comfortable enough. Watched a movie and there was a reasonable selection. It didn't provide the entertainment range of other airlines but it was enough for me. As a Qantas gold FF I had priority luggage but my bags were last off. Did a domestic flight for one hour and it was also good. Doing the red eye flying home so going business class. Price is quite good so it will be interesting to see how comfortable the seats are.

Flew London to Hanoi and Saigon to London both in business. As a counter to some of the negative reviews both flights were excellent. Sure the cabin felt a bit tired and there was no lie flat bed but food and drink were good and plentiful and service both ways particularly the return was incredibly attentive. The entertainment was limited. Outbound we were offered iPads which were far superior to the armrest screens on the return. Nice touches included dedicated business class buses to and from the aircraft. All in all I had an excellent experience. If you go expecting something comparable to one of the five star airlines you may be disappointed but it was good value and will happily travel with them again.

We travelled Gatwick to Hanoi Saigon to Gatwick (with a few internal flights in between). The internal flights were short and were acceptable. The long haul flights both ways were terrible. The attendants were miserable and did their job begrudgingly. The food was appalling - both Asian and European. We spent the whole flight hungry with only the offer of a pot noodle or a roll and butter not substantial for a 12 hour flight. We would never use Vietnam Airlines or recommend them to anyone. We have travelled many airlines including the low cost airlines and have never experienced such a poor service.

Saigon to Hue and Danang Saigon. Both legs on A321s and the interiors were lovely shades of blue and green and the seating comfort was fine. On the first flight early in the morning they offered a cup of water to each passenger. On the return we each got a bottle of water. Pretty skimpy catering especially for an early morning flight. Crews served water well and that was about it. Price competitive with LCCs and no extra charges. Both flights on time.

Flying to VN from MEL was fantastic. It was an 8 hour flight and I was able to sleep comfortably. The food was ok. The entertainment was fantastic although it would have been better if they have added more kids / family movies. The staff service was marvellous and the bathroom toilets were also clean and had no problems. Overall fantastic flight good entertainment and amazing comfort. I highly recommend Vietnam Airlines.

We did a few flights both domestic and international. The domestic planes are more comfortable than the international! Business class on short trips (1hr) is nice but really not all that different. Save your money. As for international I would not fly economy again if at all. Definitely spend the extra $$ and be comfortable for an almost 9 hr flight (Melb - Saigon). We were flying on Qantas flights on a VA plane. The staff are surly but it's no wonder. The planes are filthy and old and there is no fresh air in the cabin. After 9 hours the cabin reeks and someone vomiting didn't help but no fresh air? First drinks are ok but then on the second round you get Pepsi water or juice. Out of a big bottle. So hygiene? No amenity kits at all- not even an eye mask. Extremely poor food. Now I know why people fly the other airline. With 2 weeks between flights there was no difference in entertainment and choices are very limited.

MEL-SGN-CDG and return. We decided to try Vietnam Airlines as they offered Australia to Europe flights at a significantly lower price to other airlines I've used in the past. We got what we paid for and nothing more. Note that Australia and Europe flights aren't timed to connect with each other which means a 16 hour layover in each direction. This worked out well as we were able to exit the airport stay at a nearby hotel and freshen up before the connecting flight while our bags remained in transit. The only problem with this is you need to purchase apply for a visa before leaving MEL which can up to 140 AUD on top of the fare. The MEL-SGN flights on the A330 were fine however the 777-200 on the SGN-CDG leg is looking very tired. The seat back IFE is limited and works in channels rather than on demand. Most of the cabin crew could not speak much English. The food out of MEL and CDG was okay but the food out of SGN was terrible. Would fly with Vietnam Airlines again once they begin 787 flights.