Domestic Flights in Vietnam
If you’re travelling around Vietnam and visiting different regions, you’re probably thinking of purchasing domestic flights with Vietjet, VieTravel or Vietnam Airlines.
Here’s our experiences with the major airlines flying domestically in Vietnam. Please note: your experience may vary. We hope that this guide will better prepare you for flying domestically in Vietnam!
Travelling domestically, we didn’t have to present our eVisas, although we kept it on our persons just in case.
VieTravel Airlines (SGN – HAN)
Departure time: 9:05pm (delayed)
We used VieTravel Airlines from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. Our flight wasn’t until 9:30pm, but we arrived early and waited in line for the check-in counter to open. I met a couple while waiting and asked them if we were in the right counter (the egg coffee was kicking in and I was paranoid we were going to be late).
Once we dropped our luggage, we had to stand off to the side and wait to see if our names appeared on a screen for around 10 minutes. Apparently, they’re checking the luggage that we had dropped off.
This didn’t happen in any of the other airlines so either:
- Only VieTravel does this
- Only Tan Son Nhat International Airport Terminal 3 does this (to be fair, this is the newest terminal)
The flight itself was fine, although we got an email 2 weeks before our trip that our flight got rescheduled. The flight was delayed, and our gate was moved close to boarding time.
After arriving in Hanoi, we had to wait for buses to drive us to the airport since we landed further away.
VieTravel Airline (HAN – DAD)
Departure time: 4:50pm (cancelled)
WE GOT NOTICE THE DAY BEFORE THAT OUR FLIGHT WAS CANCELLED.
This made our day trip to Sapa super stressful because they didn’t provide us an alternate flight. I literally called their customer service so many times using my own phone and asking the receptionists at Pistachio Hotel Sapa to call on my behalf. I also sent them several emails, hoping to have them reply.
➡️ We had an amazing stay at Pistachio Hotel Sapa. Read all about my detailed review here!
Literally, the morning of our supposed flight, we finally ended up booking VietJet instead, which cost more than our original flight, since we were booking the day of.
After a couple of days, we did get a refund, but paying for flights out of pocket was expensive – especially because there were 5 of us 😭
VietJet Airline (HAN – DAD)
Departure time: 8:40am (delayed)
Not going to lie, I was so worried to book this flight 😅 Not just because of the cost booking so last minute, but also because of all the horror (?) stories I saw from TikTok of flights being delayed or passengers not being let out of the plane for hours.
But I have to say that we had a pleasant flight! The flight was a little bit delayed, but aside from that, there were no notes!
I would say, our flight was one of the earlier flights at 9am, so maybe that had something to do with it!
➡️ Book your domestic flights for VietJet with Booking.com for better prices
Vietnam Airlines (DAD – SGN)
Departure time: 5:20pm (delayed)
We flew Vietnam Airlines from Da Nang back to Ho Chi Minh City. Flight was delayed, but aside from that, the flight was okay!
I don’t really have much to say with Vietnam Airlines. It’s an overall reliable airline, although it is the most expensive of the 3 that we tried.
I saw people ordering food and paying with cash, but since we ate before arriving at the airport, we didn’t try it.
You might find these articles useful!
🚗 Read about our experience booking a private airport transfers in Vietnam!
☀️ Did you know Vietnam’s 3 regions all have different peak months? Find out when the best time to visit each region is, with my article about Vietnam’s weather by month!
✨ Overwhelmed with all the possible places to visit? Here’s our ACTUAL 2-week itinerary that you can use as a starting point to plan your trip!
