Nowadays, going to Vietnam is no longer a hardcore mission, it’s much more accessible since the appearance of many affordable airlines in Vietnam, ready to back to the track after long-affected covid time. Up to now, Vietnam has 5 domestic airlines: Vietnam airlines, Pacific airlines, Vietjet air, Bamboo airway, and Vietravel airline. In this article, we will introduce you to the domestic airlines in Vietnam and mention some pros and cons of each airbrand.

1. VIETNAM AIRLINES (VNA)

Vietnam Airlines, established in 1956, is a 4-star national airline and known for being a prestigious and world class airline. Lately, VNA has been honored to be awarded a series of awards from reputable international organizations such as topping the list of Best Brands in Vietnam in 2020 by the research and data analysis YouGov announced; Top 10 strongest brands in Vietnam according to Campaign Asia-Pacific and Nielsen, top 20 enterprises with the highest brand value in Vietnam…

As the national airline, Vietnam Airlines has the advantage in terms of the largest cabin crew and airplanes with the best quality, such as Boeing 777, Airbus A330, Airbus 320/321, Fokker 70, ATR 72, A350-900, Boeing 787. When traveling with Vietnam Airlines, passengers can be assured of the stability of flight time. Vietnam Airlines’ network of routes covers 21 provinces and cities across the country. Internationally, the airline has opened routes to Asia, Europe, Australia and America, with a total of 28 destinations in 26 countries and territories. VNA focuses on dividing the market into different income segments and classes. To meet the needs of separate segments, VNA has created different ticket classes: Business > Premium Economy > Economy and incentive programs suitable for customer segments by age.

The flight booking process is quite simple, but there are still a few small notes such as promotional or low-cost tickets that usually do not allow ticket exchange, cancellation or refund in any case. However, you are still allowed to change the flight date, but you have to pay the difference according to the fare at that time.

PROS:

• Low flight delay rate
• Check-in luggage up to 32kg
• Meal included
• The ticket is refundable if you can’t attend (except for promotional tickets or low class tickets)

CONS:

• The price is more expensive than other airlines

2. PACIFIC AIRLINES

In 1991, Jetstar Pacific was established and is the pioneer low-cost airline in Vietnam, then, in 2020, it officially changed its name to Pacific Airlines and took new steps to improve the production and business activities and profitability of this low-cost airline.

Since opening in 2004, Pacific Airlines has carried 75 million passengers. The airline was also voted as the best low-cost airline brand in 2008 by Ad Asia magazine. The airline owns 90 aircraft of various sizes, including Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A321, Boeing 737-400 (as of July 2012). In which, Airbus A320 and Boeing 737-400 are single-aisle aircraft with high reliability and fuel economy. In addition, this airline is also famous for its variety of seat classes and ticket classes, which are very convenient for customers. Currently, Pacific Airlines has 4 classes of tickets, which are Economy Flex, Economy Standard, Economy Class, Economy Saver to target customer segments based on diverse income levels.

Up to 85 destinations around the world are being operated by Pacific Airlines. Specifically, Vietnam tourist attractions include Buon Ma Thuot, Chu Lai, Da Nang… and international as: Cambodia (Phnom Penh, Siem Reap), Australia (Canberra, Newcastle, Sydney…), Cook Island, China (Guangzhou, Guiyang, Shanghai…), Fiji (Nadi), USA (Honolulu), etc.

Here are a few points to keep in mind when booking tickets:

• Conditions of ticket change: Only allowed to change to the equal or higher itinerary.
• Conditions for changing name: Name changing fee is 360,000 VND/time (not included in Economy Saver class)
• Child fare conditions: Children (2 – 12 years old): 90% of adult fare (excluding VAT). Infant (0 – 2 years old): 10% of adult fare (VAT not included).

Make changes at least 04 hours before the first departure time on the ticket.

PROS:

• Low flight delay rate
• Check-in luggage up to 30kg
• Inexpensive
• The ticket is refundable if you can’t attend (except for low class tickets)

CONS:

• No meal included

3. VIETJET AIR

Vietjet Air is the first private airline in Vietnam to operate under the new generation airline model, which is cost-effective & flexible and provides a wide range of services for customers to choose from and is licensed to operate since November 2007. Vietjet is an official member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) with the IOSA Operational Safety Certificate and is ranked the highest in the world for aviation safety with 7 stars by AirlineRatings.com, the world’s leading prestigious organization specializing in evaluating safety and products of global airlines.

Vietjet is proud to own a lot of new, most modern and environmentally friendly airplanes. Vietjet’s planes are quite advanced, including: Airbus A320, Airbus A320neo, Airbus A321, Airbus A321neo, Boeing 737 MAX 200. Vietjet Air connects passengers to many impressive destinations with a network of flights covering Vietnam and more than 30 tourist destinations in the region. You can easily fly to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong with extremely economical fares from Vietjet.

Vietjet offers passengers 3 ticket classes with different prices and service quality. Customers can easily choose according to their needs and budget. There are Skyboss (the most premium class), Eco class (equivalent to other airlines’ economy class) and Promo class (cheap tickets, promotions).

Skyboss is the most preferential ticket class, but Vietjet also has many binding regulations that you need to pay attention to. Skyboss tickets are non-refundable and you will forfeit the full fare if canceled or changed later than 2 days after the departure date on the ticket. Changing the flight date and time is allowed, but you can only change to flights with the same or higher price than the old one, and at the same time pay the difference in Vietjet fare (if any). Promo class tickets are always welcomed by a large number of customers because of the attractive price, which is only half of the regular ticket price. However, customers who buy Promo tickets will almost lose money if negligence occurs.

PROS:

• Inexpensive

CONS:

• High flight delay rate, the flight time will be much more later than the original one
• No check-in luggage
• The ticket is non-refundable

4. BAMBOO AIRWAY

Carrying the mission of connecting tourist lands on the dearest S-shaped country and raising the image of the nation and Vietnamese people on the global map, Bamboo Airways has started the journey of reaching far since 2017.

From the selection of color, seat type, fabric, leather to the design space in the passenger compartment and the arrangement of the seats… all show efforts to serve and create a sense of comfort, most convenient for customers. Implementing the slogan “More than a flight”, Bamboo Airways not only offers 5-star quality and fares, it also offers passengers the best flight experience. The flight attendants provide the best support with a warmly welcome attitude and serve passengers enthusiastically on flights. In addition, Bamboo Airways also constantly invests and upgrades its airplanes with quality planes such as Airbus A320Neo, Airbus A321Neo, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to serve passengers on domestic and international flights.

With the domestic market, Bamboo Airways focuses on exploiting new routes besides the main axes such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, and Da Nang. Domestic flight routes to tourist destinations such as Quang Binh, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Quy Nhon, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang… With the international market, Bamboo Airways is currently operating round-trip direct flights between Vietnam and Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, UK, Australia, Germany…. This will help passengers reduce transit flights, saving time and costs.

With the desire to bring the dream of flying closer to all Vietnamese and foreign tourists, Bamboo Airways has developed diverse and flexible ticket class policies including: Bamboo Economy (Economy), Bamboo Plus (Economy Flex), Bamboo Business (Business).

Passengers who wish to reserve a seat in advance will be charged a fee, and changing the date and itinerary will incur a fee and the difference in fare. Passengers are not allowed to refund tickets and the minimum time to change the ticket information is 3 hours before the departure time of the first flight sector. This condition does not apply to economy class tickets.

PROS:

• Low flight delay rate
• Check-in luggage up to 27kg
• Include meal according to the ticket class
• The ticket is refundable (except low cost class)

CONS:

• Pricey

5. VIETRAVEL AIRLINE

Vietravel Airlines is a new airline associated with tourism, providing domestic and international air transportation services to countries in the continent, starting operations from 12/02/2019.

As a newly launched airline, Vietravel Airlines puts service quality and passenger safety first. At the moment, Vietravel Airlines owns 3 modern Airbus A321CEO aircraft with the age of less than 6 years and the airline is planning to expand to 8 airplanes in the future. In general, passengers who experienced flying with Vietravel Airlines all rate this as a “healthy” choice. Vietravel is very punctual, flight procedures are simple and fast. The cabin crew’s working attitude and customer care is nothing to complain about. The meals are delicious and varied. Airplanes are new and guaranteed to protect the environment. Vietravel Airlines’ network of routes follows the North-South axis, to major cities including Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Phu Quoc.

Right from the starting days, Vietravel Airlines has announced a Hybrid airline model, a combination between low-cost and traditional models. Currently, Vietravel Airlines only offers 1 class, which is an Economy ticket with a basic benefit of an additional 07kg of luggage. In addition, for customers to have a variety of options, the airline offers 3 utility packages with 17 prices from low to high.

PROS:

• Affordable price

CONS:

• Less airplanes
• Poor post-sale customer care
• No free check-in luggage