Flying to Vietnam

General Information

Vietnam is a dynamic country when it comes to air travel, with well-developed airports, airlines, and domestic and international networks that make it easily accessible from many places around the world. Additionally, one of the world's busiest air routes is found here, between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

With over twenty airports spread across the country, including around ten with international status (though not necessarily global reach), getting around is relatively straightforward. Naturally, the airports of Ho Chi Minh City and the capital Hanoi are the busiest, handling 40 million passengers per year for the former and ten million fewer for the latter. These figures far exceed those of Danang, Nha Trang, and other airports.

Local Airlines

The market is largely dominated by the national carrier Vietnam Airlines and its subsidiaries, such as the low-cost airline Pacific Airlines. With over a hundred destinations—domestic, regional, and long-haul, including Europe—the group is a key player aiming to reach 100 million passengers annually soon.

Alongside Vietnam Airlines, four or five other carriers, like Bamboo Airlines and especially the low-cost VietJet Air, operate on Vietnam’s domestic network and neighboring countries, from India to Australia.

From France and Europe

Thanks to Vietnam Airlines and a few other national carriers, Europe is well connected with direct flights. Nearly ten cities on the continent have routes to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and some, like Paris, offer flights with both Air France and Vietnam Airlines. This provides options for those wanting to fly directly to Vietnam in around twelve hours—though prices typically exceed 1 000 €.

For more affordable fares, starting from 700/800 €, connecting flights are necessary. There’s a wide range of options, including Turkish Airlines (via Istanbul), Qatar Airways, or Emirates (via the Gulf), as well as most Asian airlines that include Vietnam as a stopover from their hubs.

For travelers planning to explore the country from north to south, it may be worth considering an open-jaw ticket, arriving in one city and departing from the other.

From the Rest of Asia-Pacific

No problem—Vietnam is extremely well connected to the rest of the continent and even Australia, with a variety of carriers, including low-cost options. Several airports beyond the two main ones also offer a good selection of flights.

From Elsewhere

The Gulf (Dubai, Qatar), Africa (Addis Ababa), and North America (San Francisco) also have direct flights with Vietnam Airlines or airlines from those regions.