Domestic Flights in Vietnam: Airlines, Routes and the Baggage Trap
Four carriers, dozens of routes, and a baggage policy on Vietjet that catches almost every first-timer. What to know before you book.
Vietnam has four domestic carriers and a flight network that lets you skip the country end-to-end in two hours instead of two days. For anything over about 600 km it is almost always the right choice on cost-per-hour. The catch is that the cheapest fare you see online is rarely the fare you actually pay.
The four airlines
Vietnam Airlines (VN) is the flag carrier. Full service: 23 kg checked bag, meal, seat selection, two free hand items. Operates from the main terminals everywhere. Most punctual of the four. Mid-priced.
Bamboo Airways (QH) sits between full service and budget. 20 kg checked included on most fares, snack, decent legroom. Network has contracted since 2024 but core domestic routes are stable.
Vietjet Air (VJ) is the budget carrier and runs the most flights. The headline price excludes everything. Add checked baggage, seat choice, meal, even priority boarding. A 25,000 VND "international SkyBoss" upsell page appears at checkout — decline it. On-time performance is the worst of the four.
Pacific Airlines (BL) is now operated under the Vietnam Airlines group with a small fleet on a few trunk routes. Treat it as a slightly cheaper VN.
Major routes
| Route | Duration | Frequency | Typical one-way |
|---|---|---|---|
| HAN ↔ SGN | 2h 15m | 30+ flights/day | 1.5–3.5m VND |
| HAN ↔ DAD | 1h 20m | 20+ flights/day | 900k–2m VND |
| SGN ↔ DAD | 1h 25m | 20+ flights/day | 900k–2m VND |
| SGN ↔ PQC | 1h 5m | 15+ flights/day | 700k–1.8m VND |
| HAN ↔ PQC | 2h 10m | Several daily | 1.4–2.8m VND |
| SGN ↔ CXR (Nha Trang) | 1h 10m | 10+ flights/day | 700k–1.5m VND |
| HAN ↔ DLI (Dalat) | 1h 50m | Several daily | 1.2–2m VND |
Prices shift hard with demand. Tet, summer holidays and long weekends double everything. Book midweek for the best fares.
The Vietjet baggage trap
The default Eco fare on Vietjet includes only 7 kg cabin baggage. No checked bag. If you turn up with a 20 kg suitcase you'll pay the gate rate, which is roughly four times the price of adding the bag online and can exceed the cost of the ticket itself.
Buy the baggage when you book. 20 kg is around 250,000 VND if added in advance, 600,000+ at the airport. Bamboo and Vietnam Airlines include 20–23 kg by default on most fares; always check the fare class before assuming.
Booking
Book direct on each airline's site, or use Traveloka, Google Flights or Skyscanner to compare. Avoid third-party agents you don't recognise — the cancellation and change handling can be miserable. Foreign cards work on all four airline sites; Vietjet sometimes triggers 3D Secure issues for first-time foreign cards, in which case ApplePay/GooglePay usually goes through.
E-tickets are emailed instantly. You don't need to print; the QR code on your phone is fine at check-in kiosks.
Punctuality and the real schedule
Vietnam Airlines runs at around 85% on-time. Bamboo near 80%. Vietjet hovers around 65–70% and routinely runs 1–3 hour delays in the late evening as delays cascade through the day. Book morning flights if you have a connection or a tour to catch. The first wave of the day is the most reliable.
For weather: typhoon season (September–November) regularly closes central airports (DAD, HUI, VCL) for half a day at a time. Have a buffer.
When the train beats the plane
Hanoi–Hue, Da Nang–Nha Trang, anything 6–10 hours by overnight rail — the Reunification Express wins on hassle once you count the trip to the airport, security, the flight itself and the trip from the destination airport. The plane is faster door-to-door only for the genuinely long routes. Use the airports below as the deciding factor: Noi Bai is 30 km from central Hanoi, Tan Son Nhat is inside the city, Da Nang is ten minutes from the centre.
Comments
No comments yet.