Vietnam Airlines
Vietnam’s state-owned flag carrier, operating full-service domestic and international flights through its major hubs in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
About Vietnam Airlines
Vietnam Airlines traces its origins to 1956, when the country’s civil aviation sector was established, and adopted its present identity in 1995. It is Vietnam’s state-owned flag carrier and operates scheduled passenger services under the VN code. The airline’s golden lotus emblem reflects its national role, while its full-service model distinguishes it from the country’s growing group of low-cost carriers.
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are its principal connecting hubs, with Da Nang providing another important domestic base. The airline operates 210 routes serving 49 destinations across 20 countries. Its network links major Vietnamese cities with destinations elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and Europe, including Bangkok, Siem Reap, Guangzhou, Seoul, Tokyo and Paris. Domestic services include Buon Ma Thuot, Can Tho and Dalat.
Aircraft types associated with its route operations include members of the Airbus A320 family, particularly the A319, A320 and A321, alongside Airbus A330 variants. Route records also include ATR 72 turboprops, Airbus A318 and A340 aircraft, and Boeing 737-800 and 737-900 variants. Depending on the aircraft and route, travellers may encounter Economy, Premium Economy or Business Class, with the broadest cabin choice generally offered on longer international services.
Vietnam Airlines joined SkyTeam in 2010, becoming the alliance’s first member from Southeast Asia. This membership supports coordinated connections and reciprocal benefits across participating airlines. Its frequent-flyer programme, Lotusmiles, allows members to earn and redeem miles on Vietnam Airlines and eligible partners, while higher membership tiers can provide benefits such as priority airport services, additional baggage privileges and lounge access when applicable.
A major strength is the breadth of its domestic network, which supports convenient connections between Vietnam’s principal commercial centres and regional cities. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City also provide useful onward links to international markets. However, aircraft type, cabin layout and onboard amenities can vary substantially by route, so travellers should review the operating aircraft and fare conditions before booking, particularly when comparing connecting itineraries or expecting a specific premium product.
Good to know
Flying with Vietnam Airlines — what to expect
Two Main Hubs
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City handle much of the airline’s connecting traffic. Allow sufficient transfer time and confirm whether a domestic connection requires changing terminals.
Fare Conditions Vary
Baggage, changes and refunds depend on the fare family and route. Check the conditions attached to the specific ticket rather than assuming every full-service fare includes identical benefits.
Cabins Differ by Aircraft
Seat design, entertainment and premium-cabin features vary across aircraft and routes. Review the scheduled aircraft before booking if a particular seat or onboard product matters to you.
Lotusmiles Benefits
Lotusmiles members can earn and redeem miles with Vietnam Airlines and eligible partners. Tier benefits may include priority services, lounge access or additional baggage, subject to route and eligibility rules.
Domestic Connections
The extensive domestic network makes the airline useful for itineraries combining major cities with regional destinations. Weather and congestion can affect connections, especially during peak travel periods.
Network overview
Where Vietnam Airlines flies
Vietnam Airlines operates 210 routes to 49 destinations across 20 countries, its longest sector reaching Paris to Ho Chi Minh City (10,105 km nonstop).
Destinations served
Cities Vietnam Airlines flies to, most-served first.
Main hubs
Busiest departure bases, by route count.
Fleet
Aircraft types on record for these routes.
Longest nonstop route
Paris → Ho Chi Minh City
10,105 km · CDG → SGN
The longest sector in the Vietnam Airlines network, measured as the great-circle distance between the two airports.
Route data · TravelPayouts route data · updated 2026-07
Route network
Popular routes operated by Vietnam Airlines
Tracked Vietnam Airlines routes touch Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam.
Reviews of Vietnam Airlines
TripAdvisor · 2023–2023- 511
- 47
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What travellers flew
Counted from the 50 reviews below — a tally of the flights reviewed, with each chip carrying the average score those reviewers gave. Nothing here reads their prose or summarises what they said.
✓ marks a group averaging 7/10 or better, − one averaging 4/10 or worse, across at least three reviews.
Pathetic and highly ridiculous service.
The flight was due for 10pm and a delay of at least 1.5hours has been recently announced. No organisation. No planning, servers have been down and air lines are showing a super delayed response. The uncertainty of delay is in itself an annoying issue. We have… See more been standing in que since 2.5 hours now. Is this how a flight should function? Pathetic service. Not recommended at all. Kindly prefer other options instead.
See lessPosted June 2023 by Bindiya S
What a giant ball ache- no concept of efficient passenger management
I flew Syd-Hanoi- return. Prem is con to Hanoi and Econ to Saigon and then Prem Econ to Sydney. VA ticket this way …but I subsequently found out the Hanoi -Saigon is a domestic leg and here’s where the troubles start. I was flying in from Bangkok same day. Arr… See more To check in to flight to Hanoi. Need a visa- WTF. Why, I am in transit for 2 hours in Hanoi and same Saigon. Try to change ticket to go direct Saigon. $1900 to do so, despite giving up a leg! So 2 days in BKK to get a visa and book same ball ache flight. Can’t check luggage to Sydney, have to collect in Hanoi, go through immigration, take a shuttle to domestic terminal and check in again. All this in 34c and no help from Airline staff - despite using a. Walking stick. Hanoi immigration is a zoo and to be avoided at all costs. It’s at least an hour wait. So I walked to front and waved walking stick and was assisted. All flights landed on Apron BKK -Hanoi and onto Saigon. Which involved stairs, sweaty busses and more stairs! The additional cost of this is circa $1000 - visa fee, accom, transport, Re booking fee etc.. On top of this. No one answers phone at Lou’s smiles or VA call centre a s website and app a joke as it’s limited or reverts to Vietnamese. So zero customer service. I have zero interest in flying with them again and cannot recommended on anyway.
See lessPosted June 2023 by advrider-ox, Sydney
Fast reply and continuous support following flight disruptions
Vietnam Airlines changed a flight within a series of 4 flights that i had booked within vietnam. This caused me a massive pain as I was about to lose my transfer between 2 flights. After I tried to contact KIWI (agent), KIWI was unresponsive, rude, and… See more instructed me to reach out directly to Vietnam Airlines myself. I’m glad I did, within a couple of hours and 3/4 emails I had my problem solved. I should have done this from the begging Thanks VA
See lessPosted June 2023 by Diogo Relveiro
Completely unreliable and unprofessional
During our two week stay in Vietnam we booked three flights weeks in advance. All flights were adjusted and changed within 48 hours of departure, one we weren’t even told about until we arrived for check in. Our final flight which was scheduled to get a… See more connecting flight back to Australia was changed with less than 24 hours notice and put us at risk of being unable to get home. Customer service was impossible to reach on the phone and took hours to respond to multiple emails and Facebook messages ruining the last day of our trip. When we went to check in on this final flight we were told by the staff that we were not in their system even though we had an email confirmation, had chosen seats and had ticket numbers allocated to us in the app. I had to literally cry and beg so that the staff would acknowledge their mistake so that they would issue us with tickets for the flight we needed to be on to get home. I’ve been given no actual apology or compensation for the immense amount of stress they’ve caused over the last 2 weeks, just auto-generated responses from the customer service team.
See lessPosted June 2023 by Holly D
Functional but not quality!
Had multiple flights with Vietnam Airlines, both international and internal. Flights were functional but not great. Times were all changes prior to departure, and on occasions we were not informed of the schedule change. It caused a lot of issues having to… See more re-arrange accommodation, transfers, etc. Not impressed. Once at the airport, flights were on time. Only 3 of 6 toilets working on the long haul flights. Limited drink service and they ran out of most drinks anyway by a couple of hours into the flights.
See lessPosted May 2023 by vincentobrien, Wroughton
Great experience
We booked Vietnam Airlines for a domestic flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh. Having been working in the airline industry for so many years, I was pretty impressed with the airline. The aircraft was very neat and the service was also good. What stood out most… See more was the safety video played which was not the usual boring stuff. They have tried to keep the passengers attention stuck on the video. I was also impressed by the inflight entertainment. I will recommend this to anyone planning a trip in/out/within Vietnam.
See lessPosted May 2023 by Aneb2000, Dubai
Traveller reviews originally published on TripAdvisor, shown for reference — service standards may have changed since. Originfacts does not edit or verify individual reviews, and the sample reflects who chose to leave one.
More from Vietnam
Other airlines based in Vietnam
FAQ
Vietnam Airlines — frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the details travellers usually check first, from codes and locations to the practical basics that help with planning.
8 common questions
- Originfacts compares live fares from hundreds of airlines and travel agencies via its partner Travelpayouts. Originfacts never adds a fee to the prices displayed.
- Fares are often lower outside Vietnamese public holidays, Lunar New Year and peak summer travel periods. Comparing flexible dates and booking earlier for long-haul or holiday travel can improve the chances of finding a lower price.
- The longest route is Paris to Ho Chi Minh City, covering about 10,105 km nonstop.
- Vietnam Airlines has two principal hubs: Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, with Ho Chi Minh City offering the largest number of departure routes. Da Nang is another important operating base.
- The busiest departure points by route count are Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Guangzhou and Seoul. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are the airline’s main connecting hubs.
- Carry-on allowances vary by cabin, fare and itinerary. Travellers should check the allowance shown on their booking and Vietnam Airlines’ current baggage rules before departure, particularly for weight and piece limits.
- Vietnam Airlines serves domestic cities across Vietnam and international destinations in Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and Europe. Notable cities include Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, Guangzhou and Paris.
- Vietnam Airlines serves 49 destinations across 20 countries through a network of 210 routes.