Five domestic airlines in Vietnam, including Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air, Bamboo Airways, Pacific Airlines, and Vietravel Airlines, cover all routes to the popular cities and famous destinations in the country. Each aviation company has its own features, including different routes and tickets.
Let’s check them!
1. Vietnam Airlines – A national airline
Vietnam Airlines (VNA) is the largest domestic airline in Vietnam and has the most weekly routes and flights. VND covers all major and minor airports in Vietnam, so you can easily fly from Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi to Da Nang Airport, the nearest airport to Hoi An.
Typically, International flights can fly to more than 60 destinations in Asia, Europe, Australia, America, etc. The airline has direct flights from Vietnam to Japan, Korea, China, France, Germany, England and America.
VNA, founded in 1956, is the national airline that vitally connects Vietnam with the world. The airline has been a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance since 2010, which shows its professional targets.
VNA focuses on economy and business customers with a modern professional fleet and high-quality service. In-flight meals are served according to international standards, with options suitable for each itinerary.
Ticket classes:
Vietnam Airlines offers three main ticket classes:
- Business Class: Spacious seats, priority service, premium meals.
- Premium Economy: Seats with more space and upgraded meals than Economy Class.
- Economy Class: Passengers who need to travel economically still receive meals and free baggage.
Free baggage policy:
- Business Class: 2 pieces x 32kg checked baggage + 2 pieces of 18kg carry-on baggage.
- Premium Economy Class: 2 pieces x 20kg checked baggage + 1 piece of 12kg carry-on baggage.
- Economy Class: 1 checked baggage x 20kg + 1 carry-on baggage x 12kg (depending on the flight route).
Official website: https://www.vietnamairlines.com
2. VietJet Air – Cheap Vietnamese airline
With its first flight in 2011, Vietjet Air is the first private airline company in Vietnam, which opens more opportunities for low-income people to use flight services.
Vietjet Air operates most domestic routes from North to South, connecting major cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang Beach City, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc Island.
The airline expands its routes to countries such as Thailand, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, India, etc. with competitive fares.
VietJetair offers good services to the right market, supporting its development strongly in the minds of local people with a friendly team and red airplane images.
Ticket classes:
Vietjet Air offers three main ticket classes:
- SkyBoss: The most premium ticket class, with spacious seats, priority check-in, VIP lounge, and free meals.
- Deluxe: Mid-range ticket class with free checked baggage and flexible ticket changes.
- Eco: Low-cost economy class, including seats only; passengers need to pay if they want to add baggage or meals.
Baggage:
- Eco tickets do not include checked baggage, and passengers can buy more according to their needs.
- Deluxe tickets have 20kg of free checked baggage.
- SkyBoss tickets include 30kg of free checked baggage + 10kg of carry-on luggage.
Official website: https://www.vietjetair.com
3. Bamboo Airways
Established in 2019, Bamboo Airways, which belongs to an FLC group – a prominent real estate company in Vietnam – used to have plenty of domestic and international flying routes.
However, during the last few years, this airline company has recovered flight routes to a few destinations in Vietnam and internationally due to the delay in regular flights—which were just used for charter renting.
For example, Bamboo Airways marked its official return to regular international flights with white and light green airplanes from Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCM City to Don Mueang (Bangkok) on November 26, 2024. Additionally, from December 24, 2024, it has connected Phu Quoc with Taipei and Kaohsiung (Taiwan, China), with a regular frequency of 7 weekly flights.
Ticket classes
Bamboo Airways offers three main ticket classes:
- Bamboo Business: Premium class with spacious seats, priority service, VIP lounge, premium meals, and special services.
- Bamboo Premium: Mid-range class with improved service, more comfortable seats, free meals, and benefits such as priority check-in.
- Bamboo Economy: Economy class, suitable for passengers who want to save money but still want to experience good service.
Official website: https://www.bambooairways.com
4. Pacific Airlines
Opened in 1991, Pacific Airlines is Vietnam’s first cooperative air company. In 2007, when it cooperated with Qantas Group, it was renamed Jetstar Pacific Airlines. However, in 2020, its name was returned to the original Pacific Airlines and under the management of Vietnam Airlines.
Pacific Airlines runs flights to Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Da Nang, and Chu Lai, with an average of 6 to 8 daily flights. During peak periods, the airline can increase flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Hue, and Tuy Hoa.
Despite this announcement, our team has tried to find flights with Pacific Airlines, but finding the correct flights for these routes is difficult.
Ticket classes:
Pacific Airlines also has three ticket classes, including standards, providing business and economy.
The guests on its flights can receive entertainment systems, other in-flight services, and the exact mileage policy for members of Vietnam Airlines.
5. Vietravel Airlines
Vietravel Airlines joined the air market in 2020 and is managed by Vietravel, a famous travel company in Vietnam. Thus, this airline focuses on transporting tourists to famous domestic and international destinations. Its popular flying routes include Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Da Nang, and Hanoi.
The airline also develops its fleet with modern aircraft that meet standard air and tourist requirements.
The highlight is creating flights serving a few tours so that tourists can conveniently book package tours and air tickets to explore tourist places.
Ticket classes:
- Economy Class: Basic services such as meals and checked baggage are available at additional charges.
- Premium Class: A higher level of service with spacious seating, priority check-in, and additional amenities.
Baggage:
- All ticket classes are free of carry-on baggage up to 7 kg.
- Deluxe & Business Class: 20 kg free checked baggage included.
- Eco Class: No checked baggage is included; only carry-on baggage is included, and additional purchases are needed.
Official website: https://www.vietravelairlines.com
FAQs about Vietnamese airlines:
1. Do domestic airlines include free checked baggage?
Checked baggage may or may not be included depending on the ticket class and price offered by the airline.
Typically, Vietnam Airlines includes checked baggage for all ticket classes from economy to business. Other airlines depend on your choice when selecting flight tickets. Therefore, please pay attention to this issue when booking tickets and ask the agent to ensure that checked baggage is calculated according to your required quantity.
2. In Vietnam, can I choose an airline to fly with?
Of course, you can freely choose to fly with any domestic airline in Vietnam. However, depending on the flight time and route, some routes are not available for choice; they are defaulted when the route or flight time is only operated by one airline.
3. Can I change my domestic flight ticket once I have purchased it?
The staff will check the flight time or alternative flight date; you can change it if available.
Depending on the case, you may or may not have to pay a fee. Most low-cost, economy class or discounted promotional tickets usually incur a fee when changing.
4. Which airline has the most flying routes?
Vietnam Airlines has the most routes and flight frequencies, so it is the easiest to choose among popular destinations in Vietnam. It is followed by Vietjet Air, which also has a variety of destinations and routes.
5. Which airline has the highest or cheapest ticket prices?
Ticket prices may vary depending on the route and flight time. Sometimes, airline A is cheaper, and sometimes, airline B is more affordable.
According to our general assessment, Vietnam Airlines has the highest ticket prices. Vietjet Air often has the cheapest tickets; typically, it sometimes offers “0” dong tickets.
> Read more about the notes to travel by air for the first time.
6. What is the difference between Vietjet Air and Vietnam Airlines’ ground services?
In our experience, these two airlines’ ground services for check-in and baggage handling are almost identical. They use nearly the same check-in system, baggage procedures, and security screening. Their ground service staffs are all professionally trained, so there is no difference.
