Originally Posted by
ermen
I'm not sure how to go oneworld from SGN - PER without having to transit in HKG using CX. There are no other routings that I can think of! (Also, when I meant published fare I was talking about being able to book an award ticket + revenue ticket both on CX's website.)
Update: In the end, the agent I spoke to placed me on hold and spoke to some other department. She confirmed that I was able to do SGN - PER for 35K so will be looking to ticket it soon (that was after I said I booked PER - HAN for 35K points and SGN / HAN are in the same zone)
Whether a particular itinerary is allowed does not depend on whether the desired destination is in the same "zone" as an alternate destination. Each itinerary must be evaluated independently. So, the mere fact that you were allowed to ticket PER -> HKG -> HAN in the past is not relevant to whether you will be allowed to ticket SGN -> HKG -> PER now.
You are correct in surmising that you must transit HKG when originating in SGN and wanting to travel to the South Pacific.
"Published fare" does not mean a fare you can ticket on an airline website. The requirement is more complex than that.