vietnam airlines vs vietjet air: which should you actually book?
Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air are not really competing for the same passenger. Vietnam Airlines is the country’s flag carrier — a genuine full-service airline with Skytrax 4-star status, a 787/A350 widebody fleet, hot meals baked into the cheapest fare, and a checked bag included whether you’re flying Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi to Amsterdam. It’s the airline you pick when Vietnam is the destination and you want the experience to feel like an occasion. VietJet Air, by contrast, is a 3-star ULCC built on a single promise: the cheapest seat in the air between point A and point B in Asia. If you’re moving between Vietnamese cities or hopping across to Bangkok, Seoul or Melbourne and you’re prepared to travel light, VietJet will almost certainly undercut everyone else on headline price.
The mistake most travellers make is treating this as a straight price comparison. It isn’t. Once you add a checked bag to a VietJet booking — and most people do — the gap narrows considerably. On some routes, Vietnam Airlines’ Economy Saver fare ends up cheaper on a total-cost basis, while delivering a hot meal, a 23 kg bag, and a wider seat. This page exists to help you do that maths before you commit.
Side-by-side, on real numbers
No vague “Standard / Standard” filler — the fare figures come from the live fares aifly tracks across both carriers; the rest is current published policy and our sourced ratings.
| Category | Vietnam Airlines | VietJet Air |
|---|---|---|
| Skytrax rating | 4-star ✅ | 3-star |
| aifly comfort tier | Full-service | Ultra-low-cost |
| Economy seat pitch | 32 in ✅ | 29 in |
| On-time performance | 78% | — |
| Fleet average age | 7.0 yrs | — |
| Cheapest-fare checked bag | 23 kg incl. (Economy Saver) | 0 kg — Eco fare is cabin bag only; checked bag purchased separately |
| Change fee | €100 | — |
| Typical deal-floor fare* | ~€207 | ~€147 ✅ |
| Destinations (tracked by aifly) | ~43 ✅ | ~38 |
| Hub | Hanoi Noi Bai (HAN) | Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) / Hanoi (HAN) |
| Business class | Business Class — 1-2-1 reverse herringbone flat bed on A350-900/787-9 | none — SkyBoss is a premium economy add-on tier, not a separate cabin |
| Alliance | SkyTeam (Lotusmiles) | none (SkyJoy loyalty programme) |
*Typical deal-floor = the ~10th-percentile fare aifly observes across the routes we track for each carrier (202 Vietnam Airlines fare observations, 645 VietJet Air). It’s the price to expect on a genuinely good day, not the rare headline cheapest.
Cabin & comfort
Vietnam Airlines’ Economy Saver sits at a 32-inch pitch on its widebody fleet — genuinely comfortable for the four-to-five-hour intra-Asian sectors the airline dominates. The 787-9 and A350 cabins include seatback IFE screens, a hot meal and sufficient recline for overnight flying. Business class is a proper long-haul product: a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone layout on both the A350-900 and 787-9, with direct aisle access from every seat and fully flat beds. VietJet flies mainly A320 and A321neo aircraft at around 29 inches of pitch. No seatback screens, no included meal, no free seat selection on the base fare. The SkyBoss tier adds priority boarding and a bigger bag allowance, but it is a standard economy seat with extras, not a separate premium cabin.
Baggage: the part that costs you money
This is the single most important section before you book. Vietnam Airlines’ Economy Saver fare — the cheapest published fare — includes 1×23 kg of checked baggage and a 10 kg cabin bag as standard, with 2×23 kg on flights to and from North America. You pay nothing extra for a normal suitcase. VietJet’s Eco fare includes zero checked baggage: the cheapest ticket buys you a small cabin item and nothing in the hold. Any checked bag is a paid add-on — typically €25–45 each way on international routes when added at booking, rising sharply if you add it at the airport. VietJet does bundle bags into its Deluxe and SkyBoss tiers, but those fares cost considerably more than the Eco headline price. The practical upshot: if you need a suitcase, model the full trip cost before assuming VietJet is the budget option.
Vietnam Airlines baggage allowance →
Network & hubs
Vietnam Airlines operates around 43 destinations on 132 routes, anchored at Hanoi (HAN) with connectivity to Beijing, Hong Kong, Delhi, Mumbai and European gateways including Amsterdam — the only Vietnamese carrier with meaningful long-haul reach. VietJet covers approximately 38 destinations on 127 routes: domestic Vietnamese pairs, short-haul Southeast Asia, and a handful of longer routes to South Korea, Japan, Australia and India. Destination counts are broadly similar; the character is not — Vietnam Airlines goes farther and deeper into business-traveller markets, while VietJet’s density is in leisure and budget intra-Asian flying. Neither airline offers a global network; both rely on partners for onward connections.
Loyalty & alliances
Vietnam Airlines is a full SkyTeam member, which means Lotusmiles balances earn and burn across Air France, KLM, Korean Air, Delta, Garuda and the rest of the alliance. Elite status earns priority across the network and access to Lotus Lounges in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Nha Trang. For a traveller who does multiple trips to or through Vietnam annually, the programme has genuine utility. VietJet has a loyalty programme — VietJet SkyJoy — but it operates without alliance membership and the points economy is primarily useful for repeat domestic flyers within Vietnam. For an international traveller, it offers little strategic value compared to a SkyTeam programme.
So — which one?
- You’re checking a bag — Vietnam Airlines includes 23 kg in the base fare, making the real cost-comparison much tighter than the headline prices suggest.
- You’re flying a sector over three hours, particularly internationally — the 32-inch pitch, hot meal and seatback IFE on the 787/A350 fleet make a material difference.
- You want business class with genuine flat beds — the 1-2-1 reverse herringbone on the A350-900 and 787-9 is a real long-haul product with direct aisle access from every seat.
- You’re building SkyTeam miles — Vietnam Airlines’ Lotusmiles earns and burns across Air France, KLM, Korean Air, Delta and other major alliance partners.
- You’re travelling carry-on only and the route is short — VietJet’s Eco fares on domestic Vietnamese sectors and short Southeast Asian hops are genuinely among the cheapest available.
- You want the absolute lowest headline price and are prepared to add only what you need — VietJet’s unbundled model rewards disciplined light packers.
- You’re flexible on timing and comfortable with a no-frills experience — VietJet’s A321neo fleet is relatively modern even if the hard product is basic.
- You need a seat on a popular domestic route at short notice — VietJet’s high frequency between Vietnamese cities often means more departure options.
Frequently asked questions
Does VietJet Air include a checked bag?
No — VietJet’s cheapest Eco fare includes zero checked baggage. Any hold bag is a paid add-on. Bag fees are considerably lower when added at booking versus at the airport, so price it in before you buy.
Is Vietnam Airlines actually more expensive than VietJet?
Not always, once you add a bag. Vietnam Airlines’ Economy Saver fare includes 23 kg checked baggage as standard. On routes where VietJet’s Eco fare plus a checked-bag add-on exceeds Vietnam Airlines’ base fare, the flag carrier is effectively cheaper on a total-cost basis.
What is Vietnam Airlines’ business class like?
It’s a full long-haul flat-bed product: a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration on both the A350-900 and 787-9, with fully flat beds and direct aisle access from every seat — not a recliner.
Does VietJet have a business class?
No. VietJet’s highest fare tier is SkyBoss, which offers priority boarding, a larger baggage allowance and some airport priority perks, but it is a standard economy seat with extras — not a separate business-class cabin.
Which airline is more punctual?
Vietnam Airlines reported a 78% on-time rate in Cirium’s 2025 annual data — respectable but below the top-tier Asian carriers. VietJet’s punctuality is broadly comparable within the Southeast Asian ULCC segment, though verifiable annual figures are less consistently published; delays are common on both carriers at peak domestic periods.
Can I earn frequent flyer miles on VietJet?
VietJet has the SkyJoy loyalty programme, but it has no alliance membership and limited international partner earn. Vietnam Airlines is a SkyTeam member; its Lotusmiles programme earns across Air France, KLM, Korean Air, Delta and other SkyTeam carriers, making it significantly more useful for international travellers.
Fares and policies verified June 2026. Baggage rules reflect each airline’s cheapest bookable fare and can change — always confirm at booking.