Vietnam Airlines: Which Carrier to Choose?

Traveling a lot and often, you begin to pay for any nuances on your trips, which at least a little bit, but can reduce the level of discomfort when moving. In particular, more and more attention is paid to the choice of the air carrier. Vietnamese airlines have a good level of service, but there are some nuances here too.

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Thanks to tourism, air transport in Vietnam is developing intensively. There are 27 airports in the country, 8 of them are international. All of them are evenly distributed throughout the territory. This makes Vietnam convenient for flights not only domestically, but also from anywhere in the world. More than half of airports, including all external lines, are served by three companies: Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar and VetJet Air. Due to the small length of domestic flights are short, but the level of service is quite high. The rainy season is often the cause of the irregular operation of airports – due to bad weather, flights are constantly postponed or canceled.

The list of airlines that fly to Vietnam

Popular airports are located in the cities of Nha Trang (Cam Ranh Airport), Hanoi (Noi Bai) and Ho Chi Minh (Tan son). It is they who take the most foreign tourists.

From Russia to Vietnam can be reached directly or with a transfer. The quickest way to do this is by plane from Vladivostok (Vladivostok-Avia), the flight time will be slightly more than 5 hours, the flight from Novosibirsk (S7) lasts about 7 hours, and from Moscow – 10 hours.

Vietnam Airlines can get to Vietnam from Moscow. The first flight was made back in the 90s, since then it is the only Vietnamese airline operating flights to Russia.

Other airlines:

• Nordwind Airlines (“North Wind”);
• “Orenburg Airlines”. Recently, we launched charter flights from Moscow Vnukovo Airport with the tour operator Biblio-Globus;
• Qatar Airways (Qatar Airways). The flight flies to Doha;
• Cathay Pacific;
• Emirates. Flight with transfer in Dubai;
• Etihad airlines.

The list was quite impressive, despite the fact that in the period from 2005 to 2011 the number of airlines was much larger. Later, due to a noticeable reduction in the flow of Russian tourists, many carriers abandoned this direction. The most favorable tariffs today can boast of foreign airlines. The truth will have to fly with a transfer.

Charter flights

Do not forget about the most popular way to get to Vietnam – by voucher. Charter flights are carried out by Pegas Fly and Azur Air from major Russian cities.

Flight direct. You can buy tickets without a ticket, if you suddenly decided to go to Vietnam for a longer period.

Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam AirLines

The company is state owned and is the official carrier of Vietnam. Her planes fly to almost all cities of the country, whose population exceeds 100 thousand people. There are regular flights to the islands of Condão and Fukok. Vietnam AirLines is part of the Sky Team global alliance.

The fleet consists of 115 aircraft, among which are the modern Airbus A350 and Boeing 787. Vietnamese Airlines are developing dynamically. Flights from Ho Chi Minh, Nha Trang and Hanoi airports fly to Russia. Traveling with this airline is also convenient inside the country. Passengers are provided with three classes of service: “economy standard”, “economy deluxe” and “business”.

If the flight is carried out through Moscow Domodedovo Airport from another city of Russia, a reduced fare is offered.

“Vietnam Airlines” is considered one of the safest carriers in the country. During the entire existence of the company, only two aircraft suffered a catastrophe in the face of a strong tropical downpour. This happened back in the nineties; in the last six years not a single incident was recorded.

Golden Lotus Plus program

The program is designed for regular customers. Becoming its participant, the passenger receives a number of privileges and additional services. For this you need to make a flight and register in the program. From this point on, after each trip bonuses will be credited to the card. You can use them by issuing a bonus ticket for yourself or family members.

Contacts

VietJet Air or VietJet AirAsia

There is no message with Russia, it is possible to make a flight by this company only during holidays inside the country. VietJet flies regularly to the cities: Bindin, Buon Ma Thuot, Vinh, Dalat, Danang, Quinen, Nha Trang, Tuyhoa, Phu Quoc, Haiphong, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hue and Dong Hoi. The route network is more modest than that of Vietnam Airlines, however, it also covers international flights, mainly with other Asian countries.

Contacts

Jetstar Pacific Airlines

Until 2008, the company was called Pacific Airlines, then joined the Australian low-cost airline Jetstar Airways. The main transit hub is located at Ho Chi Minh Airport. There are flights to more than 40 airports of Vietnam and international flights to Thailand, Hong Kong and Indonesia. With Russia there is no message.

Traveling low-cost inland is convenient to popular destinations such as from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, Phu Quoc, Da Nang or Nha Trang. Airplanes fly several times a day and are relatively inexpensive, especially if you take a ticket in advance or for a promotion. Flights are operated on Airbus A-320 and Boeing 787.

Contacts

AirAsia

The largest and most popular loukoster Asia. It can boast regular flights to 25 countries. Based at the airport of Malaysia and ranks first in the ratings of low-cost airlines. Mainly uses Airbus A-320 aircraft. AirAsia does not operate domestic flights in Vietnam, but you can fly to any country in Southeast Asia and even to Australia.

Contacts

Vietnam Air Service Company (VASCO) and SkyViet

VASCO was a subsidiary of Vietnam AirLines and operated flights in the southern part of Vietnam outside the flagship route network. In addition to cooperation with tour operators, it provided air ambulance flights, communication with oil platforms and search and rescue missions, and also provided services in other areas. Regular passenger traffic is carried out in five directions within the country. The base airport is located in Ho Chi Minh City, at the company’s disposal several aircraft model ATR 72-500.

In 2016, Vietnamese Airlines announced the creation of SkyViet based on the restructuring of VASCO. The new airline has just started work, and its share of traffic is still very small.

Other airlines

In addition to the above, the following names can be found at airports in Vietnam:

• Air Mekong. The third private airline in Vietnam with a modest network of routes. It has only four Bombardier CRJ 900 aircraft leased from a North American company. In 2013, all flights were suspended for the time of restructuring, which is still ongoing.
• Indochina Airlines. One of the first private airlines that appeared in Vietnam. It lasted only a year, went bankrupt at the end of 2009. It is still possible to meet the requisites at the airports of Vietnam.

Rating

• Undoubtedly, the most popular airline in Vietnam is Vietnam AirLines. The company covers all directions and annually transports more than 10 million passengers. The aircraft fleet is constantly updated, the service – at the level of international standards. The share of foreign traffic is more than 40%, and within the country – almost 70%. Flights are loaded at 70-80%. Passengers note cleanliness in the cabin, good service and food during the flight.
• The second place is occupied by low-cost airlines VietJet AirAsia and Jetstar Pacific Airlines. Their main advantage is good discounts on flights, as well as value for money.
• AirAsia is on the third line of this rating solely because of the lack of domestic flights. Other parameters are not inferior to the previous ones.
• SkyViet is a young company that can not yet offer an attractive price and a rich choice of directions. Its capabilities can only be assessed in a few years.

The rating is based on TripAdvisor reviews.

Conclusion

The Vietnamese air travel market has its giants, which no one has yet managed to move. Thanks to the developed network of airports, traveling by air within the country is fast, convenient and inexpensive. Loukosterov provide an opportunity to save on baggage, the lack of certain amenities and power.

Delay and cancellation of flights is a widespread problem in Asia, often depending not on the carrier, but on the vagaries of the weather. Vietnam Airlines are considered safe and compliant with international standards.