Vietnam Airlines

...and fleet

Vietnam Airlines (Tổng Công ty Hàng không Việt Nam as it is called in Vietnamese) is the national airline. It was formed in 1989 and has always been a state owned operation. Unlike my experience of other airlines operated by Communist states such as Aeroflot in the days of the USSR and CAAC, the national carrier of China (which I have relatively grim memories of using in 1987) Vietnam Airlines is (and has for ...
...quieter than the common areas, Vietnam is though a fairly noisy country and, as an aside, earplugs are a necessity if you don't like too much noise.

Information can be a little erratic airside though it is usually OK and both Vietnamese and English are used (providing someone is confident enough to speak over the P.A. in English).

Boarding

This is usually every man for himself - no kind of priority. An ... more

Introduction

As I have a Vietnamese wife and visited her country 7 times so far I have considerable experience of using this airline both on domestic routes and for flights in the region (Hong Kong, Cambodia etc) going back to 2003. The following is my overall assessment of all my flights with this airline to date and includes those areas where the service has, in my opinion, improved or declined.

Background and fleet

Vietnam Airlines (Tổng Công ty Hàng không Việt Nam as it is called in Vietnamese) is the national airline. It was formed in 1989 and has always been a state owned operation. Unlike my experience of other airlines operated by Communist states such as Aeroflot in the days of the USSR and CAAC, the national carrier of China (which I have relatively grim memories of using in 1987) Vietnam Airlines is (and has for a considerable time been) quite a modern and forward looking airline.

In the early days there were apparently some fairly old Russian planes in the fleet. However, long ago the airline have ditched all the legacies of the Soviet era and now run a largely modern fleet of well serviced aircraft including a range of Airbus (320, 321, and two 330 models, two ATR models and Boeing 777-200s and one type of Fokker. All in all they have 45 planes now and orders for 11 more including five of the Boeing 787 'Dreamliner'.

Check in

Until now I have always had to buy a paper ticket but have only had one minor problem when a booking was in threat of not being honoured for my party of 9. That was back in 2003, my introduction to the airline when I flew from Haiphong to Ho Chi Minh City, a route that is almost always heavily booked; moreover it was resolved to our satisfaction after a few tense moments.

The above incident aside I have always found check in to be quick and courteous. I have joined the frequent flyer scheme - Golden Lotus - which is maybe an advantage (I got upgraded once) though I do not think significantly, most Vietnamese in the service industry are at a minimum relatively polite.

The website does not seem to offer check in prior to arriving at the airport - at least not in English. I do however understand E-tickets are beginning to emerge.

Airside facilities

Waiting facilities in Vietnamese airports are not the best in the world, the domestic lounges, particularly in the provincial cities, can be particularly sparse in terms of facilities. However, with one flight or even less a day in some places you cannot expect too much. Lounges are not brilliant for domestic flights but they are quieter than the common areas, Vietnam is though a fairly noisy country and, as an aside, earplugs are a necessity if you don't like too much noise.

Information can be a little erratic airside though it is usually OK and both Vietnamese and English are used (providing someone is confident enough to speak over the P.A. in English).

Boarding

This is usually every man for himself - no kind of priority. An exception I found was in Hong Kong where we were allowed to board with our baby son ahead of the masses. In some cases one must take a bus to the plane but often passengers walk across the tarmac. In the wet season an umbrella can be a godsend. When it rains in South East Asia it really rains.

The cabin

In almost every case the cabins have been bright and clean. Seating is quite comfortable and on the 777 (used on the Hanoi - HCMC route quite often) you will have in flight entertainment through seat back TVs. Business seats are of a better standard in terms of size and pitch (unlike most short haul carriers in Europe which offer minimal differential in this respect but reasonably typical in Asia). Flights using the smaller prop planes like the ATR tend not to offer a business class service rather than try to get away with providing equally cramped conditions and a slightly better quality sandwich like a number of European Airlines who know who they are and should hang their heads in shame.

Cabin Crew

The crew are well dressed; women wear the traditional Vietnamese dress called the Ao Dai. This comprises a long high necked tunic with a pair of fairly loose silk trousers underneath. On Vietnam Airlines the tunic is royal blue, the trousers are white. Men where a smart jacket and trousers. Many people have alleged that the cabin crew get their positions through corrupt means being the children of prominent families and hence provide a tardy service. I have to say that with the odd exception I have always found the crew to be very professional and much harder working than their counterparts on many airlines in Europe.

Food and drink

This is always quite adequate and you will typically be served something on even a short flight. Usually your meal comes in a box and is invariably Vietnamese style on a longer flight (whether there is a choice will depend on the length of flight) or a sandwich, drink and maybe a sweet if it is just an hour or less. Coffee is usually available and beer is offered on Hanoi - HCMC domestic and international flights as may other alcoholic drinks depending on the aircraft and duration. Since 2003 beer has ceased to be available on other domestic routes including Haiphong - HCMC which is of similar duration to the Hanoi route. Also the food on the HCMC - Hanoi is generally much better.

Arrival

There are always plenty of ground staff to assist on arrival. Bags usually come through quite quickly on domestic services but take longer on international routes. You will need your luggage tags to take your belongings out of the arrivals hall whether domestic or international. Be warned, you will trouble if you have lost this as some travellers seem to have done there could be a significant delay. Never argue with Vietnamese officials, this gets you nowhere and makes you an object of ridicule. Having once picked up the wrong bag in Singapore I actually find this checking system which provides some precious jobs in a country of over 85 million quite reassuring (even though I have customised my baggage to ensure it is unique)..

Punctuality

Punctuality is invariably very good and so long as they have your contact details, in the event of any delay they will ring you and advise you of this. I like this feature very much, things can go wrong in Vietnam with adverse weather also strikes at certain times of year as indeed it can in much of the region.

Golden Lotus

This is probably not the best programme and one where you supposedly need to fly annually with Vietnam Airlines to maintain your membership. I have to say though, they are trying very hard. Cathy Pacific and Korean are both relatively recent partners and, whilst the airline is not yet in an alliance, I would tip Vietnam Airlines to join either The Sky Team or One World Alliance in the medium term.

Cost and value

The domestic services are extremely good value, all the more so since the former policy of charging foreigners more has been phased out. A economy flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City is available for well under £100 - this is a fairly long flight of about 2 hours. If you choose to fly business class the flight is not excessively greater, sometimes as little as 20%, but it does tend to fill up for this reason.

Overseas flights tend to be significantly more expensive. Flights to Europe tend to be so much more than their competitors that I have never been induced to try them (a change being necessary in Frankfurt or Paris). If they do get a much converted London slot I may be otherwise tempted with 2 small children in the equation - I know they are keen to acquire this route.

Child friendly policy

This was only tested on the Hong Kong - Hanoi flight and vice versa which I took in 2005 when our son was 5 and 8 months respectively. They gave us a seat at the front of economy which provoked furious looks from business passengers and were very nice but they did not have any special food (although it was ordered). Because of the configuration of the Airbus 321 a basinet was not possible. Overall though, I would say no better and no worse than any other airline

Conclusion

Overall, I think it is a good airline and one that I am sure will grow and develop in the future and offer some stiff competition in years to come on longer haul routes if they make their price a little more competitive. It has been OK when travelling with a small child. 

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