I just had the pleasure of flying Vietnam Airlines, on a domestic flight from Hanoi to Nha Trang. Great service, new aircraft, no headaches, and on-time performance summarize the trip; this article is a quick review of the airline. The airline is prepping itself for full integration into SkyTeam this June, when it becomes a full member.
Selecting and purchasing a ticket: The airline’s official website is easy to navigate and presented many options for the route (such as departure time and various prices for each departure time). Buying the ticket online with a credit card was seamless, though it took over 20 minutes before I received the confirmation email and receipt.
The E-ticket: Buying the ticket online, you get an e-ticket. While this saves you the hassle of obtaining and not losing a paper ticket, in reality at the airport, the “e-ticket”, functions like a regular ticket. You cannot print out boarding passes from your own computer or from kiosks at the airport; rather, you must still go to the ticket counter with your e-ticket printed out and show appropriate travel documents (for a domestic flight: an officially-issued Vietnamese ID if you have one or a passport if you don’t). You then get your boarding pass at the counter.
At both Hanoi and Nha Trang Airports, there was no jetway used for this flight, and you must board a wide bus-like vehicle to travel between the airplane and the terminal, and climb (or descend) the portable stairs at the aircraft parked on the apron, away from the terminal.
On-time performance: We departed the gate and arrived about ten minutes late (both on HAN-NHA and on the return, NHA-HAN).
Inflight service: Wet napkins were distributed about 15 minutes after take-off, followed by a snack for this 90-minute flight. The snack came in a box (see photo below) and contained, water, an apple, and a pastry-like roll. On the return flight, a quite-horrible quarter-inch thick piece of bologna between two slices of bread sat in the box, which I had to try to confirm that it was as bad as it looked. Suspicion confirmed.
There was some visual entertainment, some show similar to “Candid Camera” playing, though no headphones were distributed. When asked, the flight attendant said that they don’t provide them for such a short flight.
Overall, it was an excellent flight—new and clean aircraft (a comfy A321), snack provided, decent price, pleasant crew, and on-time service.
Vietnam Airlines currently operates a modern fleet of 52 aircraft of various types, serving 19 domestic and 23 international cities. And the airline is steadily expanding. They have on order 27 new A321’s and two additional wide body A350’s. With a total of 41 A321’s, VN will operate the second largest fleet of the type, after Lufthansa with 61 (counting current operations and those on order). This past November, the airline placed an order for four A380s, Airbus’s new super jumbo jet. As well, they have an outstanding order for 16 of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
The A321 (as opposed to an A320 or 737) is the backbone of the Vietnam Airlines fleet, with which it can reach all of Southeast Asia, as well as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan with a two-class configuration. This June, Vietnam Airlines will be become an official member of the SkyTeam alliance, joining Delta, Air France, KLM, Aeromexico, Alitalia, Air Europa, CSA Czech Airlines, Kenya Airways, Aeroflot, Korean Air, and China Southern Airlines, filling out the route network of the alliance which, until VN joins, remains weak in Southeast Asia.
Vietnam Airlines aircraft parked at the terminal at Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport (HAN).
Terminal at Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport (HAN).
The snack served on Hanoi-Nha Trang. Not the tastiest, but its nice to be able to get a snack these days.
Business class in the two-class configuration of VN’s A321 fleet.
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