Tips for Internal Flights in Vietnam

Travelling around Vietnam has never been easier with the wide domestic flight network. This article will give you some essential info when traveling by plane in the S-shaped country.

1. Airports

Vietnam has three major international hub airports such as Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang International Airport in Da Nang.

2. Airlines

There are 4 airlines currently operating domestic flights in Vietnam as follows:

Vietnam Airlines: National flag carrier of Vietnam (4-star airline according to Skytrax – the most reliable airlines in Vietnam)

VietJet Air: Low-cost carrier, frequent delays and cancellation.

Jetstar Pacific Airlines: Low-cost carrier established by Vietnam Airlines in combination with Qantas of Australia, frequent delays and cancellation as well.

VASCO: The subsidiary of Vietnam Airlines serving the very short-haul flights.  

3. Ticketing

It is recommended to book domestic flights with a local travel agent because it is significantly more expensive to book these flights outside of Vietnam. To make sure that you will not be overcharged by travel agent, there are many reliable websites for your references: Kayak, Expedia, Skyscanner before dealing with an agent. Besides, you should check the official websites of the airlines mentioned above, you will have a reasonable price.

4. Check in and Check out

 Check-in counters’ opening time:

- International flights: check-in counters open 3 hours before the scheduled departure time.

- Domestic flights: check-in counters open 2 hours before the scheduled departure time.

 Check-in counters’ closing time:

- International flights: check-in counters close 40 minutes before the scheduled departure time.

- Domestic flights: check-in counters close 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time.

If passengers are late for check-in,  cancellation of passengers’ flights will be applied. Passengers cannot check-in in time may cause some consequences as below (based on your ticket conditions):

- Ticket is invalid; or refund cannot be conducted if there is the limitation noted on ticket. Passenger will have to book another flight if he or she still wants to travel.

- An extra fee and the difference in the the fare between the original airfare and the new itinerary will be charged for changes to flight bookings.

To avoid some incidents during the time before reaching the airport, it is highly recommended that passenger should be present at the airport at least 2 hours before the scheduled departure time.

 Check in online

Online check-in is available 24 to 4 hours before flight departure, which helps you save time and effort.

• Vietnam Airlines: => Check in online => Enter your reservation code, Family name and Departure City => Check in
• Viet Jet Air => Web Check in => Reservation Number, Family name, Middle and Given Name => Search Reservation.
• Jetstar Pacific => Web Check in => Booking Reference, Passenger last name, Origin city => Continue to check in

Kindly note that online check-in is applied to flights mainly departing from Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

5. Baggage

Vietnam Airlines: Economy Class: 20kg checked baggage + 7 kg of hand baggage,

For more details, find the Baggage Allowance following:

https://www.vietnamairlines.com/vn/en/travel-information/baggage/baggage-allowance

Viet Jet Air: Economy Class:  7 kg of hand baggage, no checked baggage

For more details, find the Baggage Allowance following:

https://www.vietjetair.com/Sites/Web/en-US/NewsDetail/baggage-service/%20383/baggage-service

Jetstar Pacific Airlines: Economy Class:  7 kg of hand baggage, no checked baggage

For more details, find the Baggage Allowance following:

https://www.jetstar.com/vn/en/flights/baggage  

6. Fly to Saigon or Hanoi — Which one is better?

Choosing the port of entry must be mainly based on your trip itinerary and aspirations to explore the country. A handful of travelers usually begin in the south by flying into Ho Chi Minh City since the airfare to the biggest city of Vietnam is cheaper than that to the capital city. Moreover, it is said that Ho Chi Minh City offers first-time travelers a slightly "softer" landing culturally in Vietnam.

Nonetheless, you should balance two factors between itinerary and budget in order to make the right decision. For example, your journey just covers only Northern and Central Vietnam, but you make a reservation to Ho Chi Minh City thanks to the cheaper price as usual. It leads to a consequence that you have to waste much money on domestic flights to move among places. Hence, the amount of money you spend is much more than your original thought.

In essence, to come up with the optimal choice, you have to keep a cool head and don’t let yourself be allured by promotions that you are under impression that you catch the amazing bargain.