✓ Policy web-verified
Vietnam Airlines is Vietnam’s full-service flag carrier, and its baggage rules are unusual in that allowances depend heavily on your route region and cabin class rather than on a simple piece count. The carrier uses a branded-fare structure in Economy (Super Lite, Lite, Classic, Flex). On Vietnam domestic routes the cheapest tier, Economy Super Lite, carries no free checked bag at all; on international routes most Economy fares do include one — which is the detail that matters most if you’re booking a fare-deal price.
This guide covers the current 2026 published policy, verified against Vietnam Airlines’ official baggage pages. Where a figure changes by route — and several do — we say so rather than giving a single misleading number.
Quick facts
| Carry-on (Economy) | 1 piece up to 10kg + 1 accessory, 12kg total combined |
| Carry-on (Business / Prem Econ) | Up to 18kg (2 x 10kg + accessory) on US/EU/AU routes |
| Carry-on max size | 56 x 36 x 23 cm (under 115cm total) |
| Personal item / accessory | 40 x 30 x 15 cm (under 85cm total) |
| Checked (Economy, most intl) | 1 piece x 23kg |
| Checked (Economy, Americas) | 2 pieces x 23kg |
| Checked (Premium Economy, longhaul) | 2 pieces x 23kg |
| Checked (Business, longhaul) | 2 pieces x 32kg |
| Cheapest fare (Economy Super Lite) | No free checked bag on Vietnam domestic routes — carry-on only (1 x 10kg + accessory). International Economy normally keeps 1 x 23kg |
| Excess / extra bag | Prepaid online saves up to ~50% vs airport rate; varies by route |
Cabin bag & personal item
| Item | Allowance |
|---|---|
| Personal / under-seat item | 40 x 30 x 15 cm (under 85cm total). Vietnam Airlines calls this an 'accessory' (handbag, small laptop bag, etc.) carried in addition to your main cabin piece. It counts toward the cabin weight limit. |
| Cabin / carry-on bag | 56 x 36 x 23 cm (under 115cm total) · Up to 10kg per piece; 12kg total combined with accessory in Economy Free (included in all fares) |
Checked baggage & fees
| Checked allowance | Economy: 1 x 23kg on most international routes; 2 x 23kg to/from the Americas. Premium Economy/Business get more (see fare table). Economy Super Lite includes NO free checked bag on Vietnam domestic routes; on international routes most Economy fares include one — Vietnam Airlines advises confirming your own booking in Manage Booking. |
| Weight limit | 23kg per piece in Economy/Premium Economy; 32kg per piece in Business. Max 32kg and 203cm total per single piece. |
| Typical fee | Extra/excess bags charged per route; buy online (prepaid, 3h+ before departure) to save up to ~50% vs airport rates. |
What each fare includes
| Fare | Personal | Cabin | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy Super Lite | 1 accessory (40x30x15cm) | 1 x 10kg + accessory (12kg total) | NONE on Vietnam domestic routes — bag bought separately. International: normally 1 x 23kg (2 x 23kg to/from the Americas) |
| Economy Lite | 1 accessory | 1 x 10kg + accessory (12kg total) | 1 x 23kg on most international routes; confirm your own fare in Manage Booking |
| Economy Classic | 1 accessory | 1 x 10kg + accessory (12kg total) | 1 x 23kg (most intl); 2 x 23kg to/from Americas |
| Economy Flex | 1 accessory | 1 x 10kg + accessory (12kg total) | 1 x 23kg (most intl); 2 x 23kg to/from Americas |
| Premium Economy | 1 accessory | Up to 18kg (2 x 10kg + accessory) on US/EU/AU routes | 2 x 23kg on longhaul (EU/Australia/Americas/NE Asia); 1 x 23kg on shorter intl |
| Business | 1 accessory | Up to 18kg (2 x 10kg + accessory) | 2 x 32kg on longhaul; 1 x 32kg domestic/Southeast Asia |
What you actually get on a cheap fare
What you actually get at a deal price: Vietnam Airlines headline fares are almost always the Economy Lite / Super Lite bundle — and on international routes that fare normally still includes a 23kg checked bag, which is the whole reason a VN deal fare beats a low-cost carrier once you add luggage. The bag-free case is Vietnam domestic Super Lite, which is carry-on only. The carry-on itself is generous on weight terms: 1 piece up to 10kg plus an accessory, 12kg combined.
⚠️ Before you book a cheap Vietnam Airlines fare: check the allowance shown for your booking — Vietnam Airlines itself says the free allowance varies by itinerary and fare type, and Manage Booking is where it is stated. The one place the cheapest fare is reliably bag-free is Vietnam domestic Super Lite. Buy any extra bag online and in advance — Vietnam Airlines’ prepaid rate saves up to roughly 50% versus paying at the airport counter.
Oversize, sports & special items
Checked allowance varies by route region. For Economy, the headline numbers are: 1 x 23kg on most international and Southeast Asia routes; 2 x 23kg to/from the Americas; and 1 x 23kg to Hong Kong/China/Taiwan/South Korea. Japan routes vary by aircraft type and ticket-issue date (1 x 23kg or 2 x 23kg). Domestic Economy is 1 x 23kg.
Oversize and overweight. No single piece may exceed 32kg or 203cm in total dimensions; pieces over 23kg (Economy) or above the weight/size limits incur excess charges and may need to be split. Items between 158cm and 203cm count as oversize.
Sports and special equipment. Golf bags, bicycles, surfboards, ski equipment and similar are accepted as checked baggage and count against your allowance (or attract excess fees if over). Declare bulky/fragile sports gear in advance; oversized items like surfboards may carry a flat oversize charge.
Musical instruments. Small instruments may travel as cabin baggage if within carry-on limits; larger instruments must be checked or, for fragile high-value items, booked an extra seat (“cabin-seat baggage”). Confirm with Vietnam Airlines before travel.
Tickets issued before vs after May 5, 2025. Vietnam Airlines revised cabin-baggage rules for tickets issued on/after 5 May 2025; on some non-US/EU/AU routes Premium Economy cabin allowance was reduced to a single 10kg piece plus accessory.
Checked baggage by route region
Vietnam Airlines does not publish one allowance — it publishes a matrix. What you get free depends on which regions your itinerary touches and on your cabin. This is the airline’s full published table, not a summary.
| Route region | Economy | Premium Economy | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam domestic | 1 × 23 kg | 1 × 32 kg | 1 × 32 kg |
| Between Southeast Asian countries | 1 × 23 kg | 1 × 23 kg | 1 × 32 kg |
| Vietnam ↔ Hong Kong / mainland China / Taiwan / South Korea | 1 × 23 kg | 2 × 23 kg | 2 × 32 kg |
| To/from Australia (except itineraries starting in Japan) or Europe (except Russia) | 1 × 23 kg | 2 × 23 kg | 2 × 32 kg |
| Vietnam ↔ Japan | 1 or 2 × 23 kg — by city pair, aircraft and ticket date (below) | 1–2 × 23 kg | 1–2 × 32 kg |
| Russia ↔ Vietnam (tickets issued from 1 Dec 2025) | 1 × 23 kg | 2 × 23 kg | 2 × 32 kg |
| To/from the Americas | 2 × 23 kg | 2 × 23 kg | 2 × 32 kg |
| All other itineraries | 1 × 23 kg | 2 × 23 kg | 2 × 32 kg |
💡 At a deal price, read the Economy column. Only the Americas give two free checked bags in Economy. Australia and Europe give one — the two-piece rows there are Premium Economy and Business, which is the single most common misreading of this table.
Japan routes — the one genuinely complicated case
Tickets issued or reissued from 29 April 2026:
- Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City ↔ Tokyo Narita; Hanoi ↔ Tokyo Haneda — Economy 2 × 23 kg, Premium Economy 2 × 23 kg, Business 2 × 32 kg.
- Hanoi ↔ Osaka or Nagoya; Ho Chi Minh City ↔ Osaka — depends on the aircraft. A320/A321: Economy 1 × 23 kg, Premium Economy 1 × 23 kg, Business 1 × 32 kg. B787/A350: Economy 2 × 23 kg, Premium Economy 2 × 23 kg, Business 2 × 32 kg.
- Da Nang ↔ Narita or Osaka; Ho Chi Minh City ↔ Fukuoka or Nagoya; Hanoi ↔ Fukuoka — Economy 1 × 23 kg, Premium Economy 1 × 23 kg, Business 1 × 32 kg.
Tickets issued before 29 April 2026: Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City ↔ Tokyo (Haneda or Narita) and Osaka carried Economy 2 × 23 kg. Hanoi ↔ Nagoya carried 2 × 23 kg only for tickets issued from 1 June 2025 departing between 29 March and 24 October 2026 — otherwise 1 × 23 kg (Premium Economy 1 × 23 kg, Business 1 × 32 kg). The Da Nang, Fukuoka and Nagoya pairs listed above carried 1 × 23 kg.
Connecting through Japan to Asia or Australia: stop for more than 24 hours and each leg gets its own allowance. Under 24 hours, the whole itinerary follows the Japan rules above — which is exactly why itineraries starting in Japan are carved out of the Australia rule.
Extra free bags on top of the fare
- Lotusmiles / SkyTeam status (on VN-operated flights) — Titanium, Gold, SkyTeam Elite and Elite Plus each add 1 × 23 kg; Platinum and Million Milers add 2 × 23 kg; Silver adds nothing. Titanium, Gold, Platinum/Million Miler and Elite Plus also carry SkyPriority tags.
- Infants under 2 not occupying a seat — 1 piece up to 23 kg (max 115 cm total) plus one foldable stroller to/from the Americas; 1 piece up to 10 kg plus a stroller on every other itinerary.
Limits that apply on every route
No single checked piece may exceed 32 kg or 203 cm in total dimensions. Pieces of 159–203 cm count as oversize; anything heavier than the limit must be repacked, paid as excess, or sent as cargo. Sports equipment, bicycles, strollers, wheelchairs and musical instruments count against the allowance under Vietnam Airlines’ special-baggage rules.
Fare type still overrides the table: Economy Super Lite includes no free checked bag on Vietnam domestic routes, and Vietnam Airlines states the allowance may vary by itinerary and fare type — on international routes most Economy fares do include a bag. Itineraries involving other airlines follow the operating carrier’s policy. Figures above are Vietnam Airlines’ published free checked-baggage policy, read from the airline’s own page on 18 August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Does Vietnam Airlines' cheapest fare include a checked bag?
On international routes, usually yes — most Economy fares include a 23kg checked bag, and that is what makes a cheap VN fare genuinely cheap. The exception is Vietnam domestic, where Economy Super Lite has no free checked bag. Vietnam Airlines advises confirming the allowance for your own booking in Manage Booking, since it varies by itinerary and fare type.
What is Vietnam Airlines' carry-on allowance?
Economy passengers get 1 cabin piece up to 10kg plus 1 small accessory, with a 12kg combined limit. The main piece must not exceed 56 x 36 x 23 cm (under 115cm total) and the accessory 40 x 30 x 15 cm. Business and Premium Economy on US/Europe/Australia routes get up to 18kg (2 x 10kg pieces plus an accessory).
How much checked baggage does Economy include?
On most international routes it's 1 piece up to 23kg. To and from the Americas it's 2 pieces x 23kg. Domestic and most other routes are 1 x 23kg. The cheapest Lite/Super Lite fares may include none on some routes.
What is the checked weight limit per bag?
23kg per piece in Economy and Premium Economy, and 32kg per piece in Business. No single piece may exceed 32kg or 203cm in total dimensions, regardless of class.
How much does an extra or excess bag cost on Vietnam Airlines?
Fees vary by route and are priced per piece or per kg. The key saving: buy extra baggage online in advance (prepaid, at least 3 hours before departure) — Vietnam Airlines' prepaid rate can save up to around 50% compared with paying at the airport.
Can I bring sports equipment or a musical instrument?
Yes. Sports gear like golf bags, bikes, surfboards and skis is accepted as checked baggage and counts against your allowance (or incurs oversize/excess fees). Small instruments can go as cabin baggage if within carry-on limits; larger ones must be checked or booked an extra cabin seat.
Did Vietnam Airlines change its baggage rules recently?
Yes. For tickets issued on or after 5 May 2025, cabin-baggage rules were revised — on some non-US/EU/Australia routes the Premium Economy cabin allowance was reduced to a single 10kg piece plus accessory.
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