Other Asian, Australian and South Pacific Frequent Flyer Programs - Vietnam Airlines: Are these prices good for domestic travel?

Hi all

I am planning a trip to Vietnam this coming July, however I won’t be staying in one city. I plan on flying to Nha Trang (from Ho Chi Minh City), Da Nang (for Hoi An), and Hanoi.

I have never been a person to go on a vacation without confirmed tickets, but I am being told I should wait until I get there (Ho Chi Minh City) to book them.

My question is, are these prices good, or are they indeed cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City.

(Assume 1 CAD = 1 USD….hehehe)

HCMC – Nha Trang – HCMC: 1,518,000 VND (80 CAD) (Economy Booking Class: M)
HCMC – Da Nang: 1,089,000 VND (57 CAD) (Economy Booking Class: M)
Da Nang – Hanoi: 1,344,000 CVND (71 CAD) (Economy Booking Class: Y)

All those flights on one reservation: 3,907,000 VND (206 CAD) (Same booking classes)

I separated them out simply for price purposes on whether or not these are good prices.

Thanks all!!

Do you really think 206 CAD is a lot for three flights ?. I book most of my domestic flights locally but you wont get them much cheaper than that so you may as well just book them. I usually flying in J as it generally not much more and if you can time it right you can get on a widebody. The last time I did SGN-DAD and back we were on an A330 both ways.

Do you really think 206 CAD is a lot for three flights ?. I book most of my domestic flights locally but you wont get them much cheaper than that so you may as well just book them. I usually flying in J as it generally not much more and if you can time it right you can get on a widebody. The last time I did SGN-DAD and back we were on an A330 both ways.

Thanks MAN Flyer! :-:

I myself didn't think it was too much, but after being told to wait, I became very confused as to why :)

I may splurge on the SGN-DAD and DAD-HAN parts and up myself to business class, and leave the SGN-NHA-SGN in economy. I priced it out and it would raise my overall total to 288 (approx) CAD, which IMO sounds good.

What is J class like an hour flight?

Oh yeah, my SGN-DAD flight will be on a 332, but for my DAD-HAN, I don't know if I will be giving myself enough time between the time the flight lands (19:00) and my overnight train to Sapa (I don't know the exact time, as websites have been saying 20:30, 20:40, 21:15....oY). As such I am/was planning on taking the earlier flight which will put me on an A321

These prices look high to me, so yes, you may be able to do better buying in Vietnam if you want economy class. Although lower fares will come with more restrictions of course, so you'd need to be firm on your itinerary/dates. And some of the lower fares may be sold out for your dates/times. If you haven't already checked Vietnam Airlines website, you should do so at least for comparison (tell the site your location is Vietnam so you'll see the dong pricing and don't forget to get the all-in w/tax price for comparison). Local travel agents there can usually get similar pricing. If the dong depreciates again before your trip, it will be even cheaper in CDN/USD terms to wait and purchase there.

If you decide to fly business class, go ahead and buy now, as I don't think you'll see meaningful savings waiting to purchase in VN. Ditto with if you have a tight schedule and don't have time to deal with logistics things in the field, or if you just prefer peace of mind. In the scheme of the entire trip, the net savings may not be enough for you to worry about.

DAD-HAN: To make that Sapa train, get on a flight that gets you to Hanoi earlier than 19:00. That is cutting connecting to a 9 pm Sapa train too close in case of irregular ops, weather delays, etc. You can always kill time in Hanoi with a stroll and a good meal.

These prices look high to me, so yes, you may be able to do better buying in Vietnam if you want economy class. Although lower fares will come with more restrictions of course, so you'd need to be firm on your itinerary/dates. And some of the lower fares may be sold out for your dates/times. If you haven't already checked Vietnam Airlines website, you should do so at least for comparison (tell the site your location is Vietnam so you'll see the dong pricing and don't forget to get the all-in w/tax price for comparison). Local travel agents there can usually get similar pricing. If the dong depreciates again before your trip, it will be even cheaper in CDN/USD terms to wait and purchase there.

If you decide to fly business class, go ahead and buy now, as I don't think you'll see meaningful savings waiting to purchase in VN. Ditto with if you have a tight schedule and don't have time to deal with logistics things in the field, or if you just prefer peace of mind. In the scheme of the entire trip, the net savings may not be enough for you to worry about.

DAD-HAN: To make that Sapa train, get on a flight that gets you to Hanoi earlier than 19:00. That is cutting connecting to a 9 pm Sapa train too close in case of irregular ops, weather delays, etc. You can always kill time in Hanoi with a stroll and a good meal.
Oddly enough these prices that I posted are from the Vietnam Airlines website. I have tried changing my location to Canada, Vietnam, USA and the price remains the same. I am reading the fare codes and yeah some of them are of the restrictive nature (the economy class tickets that is).

Although I am feeling quasi adventurous I really think that these are the cheapest fares possible...I find it hard to believe that this can get any cheaper lol

As for the DAD-HAN, thanks for the advice. Yeah I will go back to my original flight which will arrive at 15:30. This way, as you say, can bum around Hanoi...grab a good meal, freshen up, and then ride the raids up to Sapa.

Thank you kindly for your help.

You might also want to consider looking at the prices with Jetstar (Pacific) website since they fly some of the routes you are looking for. Their prices may be cheaper if you have a flexible schedule.

You might also want to consider looking at the prices with Jetstar (Pacific) website since they fly some of the routes you are looking for. Their prices may be cheaper if you have a flexible schedule.
They were the first airline I checked, and agreed they have better prices. However I was told and shown examples of how Jetstar Pacific is severely delayed, compared to Vietnam Airlines (who is also delayed as well, but not as bad apparently). Thus I should steer clear of them, although as concluded, they have the better prices. Oh well eh

I really hope I am not coming across as a pessimist

is vietnamairlines.com the best option for booking domestic flights from outside the country? they don't seem to have any SSL certificates for protecting my data during transaction. VN is the only airline that flies my route.

are there any better options? i don't want to wait until i'm in HCMC to book my domestic travels.

read about www.tnktravelvietnam.com but not sure how reliable they are.

is vietnamairlines.com the best option for booking domestic flights from outside the country? they don't seem to have any SSL certificates for protecting my data during transaction. VN is the only airline that flies my route.

are there any better options? i don't want to wait until i'm in HCMC to book my domestic travels.

read about www.tnktravelvietnam.com but not sure how reliable they are.
I booked my domestic tickets the other day...and well I didn't check for the security factor (um, oops). It does however have Mastercard SercuCode, and VISA and Verisign (or whatever they use)

I have booked tickets online with the Vietnam Airlines web site for an upcoming trip and have had no problems with regards to security of data etc.


is vietnamairlines.com the best option for booking domestic flights from outside the country? they don't seem to have any SSL certificates for protecting my data during transaction. VN is the only airline that flies my route.

are there any better options? i don't want to wait until i'm in HCMC to book my domestic travels.

read about www.tnktravelvietnam.com but not sure how reliable they are.