Flights to Vietnam ...

McShug

McShug

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Hugh
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We are travelling to Vietnam next February, and have started looking at flights,
any recommendations?
also has anyone flown with Vietnam Airlines or Asiana Airlines?
we also have a few days available at the end of the holiday to have as a stopover,
again any recommendations?

thanks in advance
 
I visited Vietnam last October, however this was via Hong Kong as my partners brother lives there. Flights to HK tend to be fairly well priced as it's a popular route and there's plenty of 'budget' (but better quality than our budget) airlines that then fly on to Vietnam. Only if you fancy HK... obviously! :)

Pretty sure this runs the same for most East Asian cities (Bangkok etc) too.
 
It was a few years ago,but flew to Bangkok then on to Vietnam,not sure about theses days but Bangkok was the easiest place to pick an visa for Vietnam :)
 
What is your budget and what class are you looking at flying in?

If economy then I would suggest just using Skyscanner and seeing which date / airline is cheapest and not be too concerned about connections. Likely it will be Hong Kong or Bangkok.

If you want to fly with a bit more luxury, but don't want to pay full Business / First prices, consider flying ex-EU (a flight that originates from outside of the UK) with British Airways. Even with an initial positioning flight it still works out far far cheaper than a direct LON - XYZ flight. What's better, is if you have any Avios, or are enrolled in an American Express MR scheme, your positioning flights will be a mere £35 each and you get to tick another city off of your travel list (you said you have spare time, hence why I am suggesting this option).

Cheapest economy (no lie-flat beds) for the start of Feb (flying LON (LHR or LGW) to HAN return) seems to be:
£912 Air France
£2,784 Alitalia
£1,212 ANA
£542 Asiana Airlines
£664 Austrian Airlines
£647 British Airways
£795 Cathay Pacific
£609 China Southern
£541 Etihad Airways
£1,426 Japan Airlines
£952 KLM
£799 Korean Air
£608 Malaysia Airlines
£543 Qatar Airways
£760 Singapore Airlines
£824 Thai Airways
£617 Vietnam Airlines
£616 Airline combinations

Business class from LON - HAN return:
£2,560 Air France
£2,897 Asiana Airlines
£1,833 Austrian Airlines
£3,396 British Airways
£3,522 Cathay Pacific
£2,190 China Southern
£2,929 Etihad Airways
£3,731 Japan Airlines
£2,570 KLM
£2,640 Korean Air
£2,336 Malaysia Airlines
£2,307 Qatar Airways
£3,237 Singapore Airlines
£2,701 Thai Airways
£2,385 Vietnam Airlines
£2,221 Airline combinations

BA for the above route would be in £3,400 - but due to the attractive pricing structure they have to lure in European customers, you can fly Business Class with them out from AMS (Amsterdam) and back to ATH (Athens) and save £1,200 per person. The total flight cost of doing this would be £2,238 each. The only cheaper business option would be China Southern, and I can't say their business class product would match up to British Airways.
 
Thanks for all the replies,
surprisingly out of all the flights looked at hardly any go via Bangkok and the ones that do are quite expensive
but a few go via Hong Kong, so that's looking good for a stopover on the way home.

ACW said:
What is your budget and what class are you looking at flying in?

If economy then I would suggest just using Skyscanner and seeing which date / airline is cheapest and not be too concerned about connections.
Likely it will be Hong Kong or Bangkok.
Click to expand...

Economy is fine and up to £750
I can't get Skyscanner to give me the option of a multi-city flight into Hanoi and out of Ho Chi Minh.

When I have looked at Ebookers, the three options I liked were:

Vietnam Airlines direct - £580 from Gatwick, (handy for us as we live just outside Brighton)
Asiana Airlines via Seoul - £570 from Heathrow,
British Airways/Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong - £650 from Heathrow

I have previously flown with British Airways but don't know anyone who has flown either
Vietnam or Asiana Airlines?
 
McShug said:
Thanks for all the replies,
surprisingly out of all the flights looked at hardly any go via Bangkok and the ones that do are quite expensive
but a few go via Hong Kong, so that's looking good for a stopover on the way home.



Economy is fine and up to £750
I can't get Skyscanner to give me the option of a multi-city flight into Hanoi and out of Ho Chi Minh.

When I have looked at Ebookers, the three options I liked were:

Vietnam Airlines direct - £580 from Gatwick, (handy for us as we live just outside Brighton)
Asiana Airlines via Seoul - £570 from Heathrow,
British Airways/Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong - £650 from Heathrow

I have previously flown with British Airways but don't know anyone who has flown either
Vietnam or Asiana Airlines?
Click to expand...

I can't really comment on Vietnam or Asiana as I like to stick to western / Oneworld carriers.

However, the internet says Asiana is ranked just above British Airways, and Vietnam Airlines is far far further down the list.

If you fly BA you'll receive enough Avios for a free Eurostar trip...

But if you're not loyal to any particular airline / not a member of any frequent flier schemes, then Asiana seems the logical choice.
 
Hong Kong or Bangkok is the best route for you. Lots of cheap operators that will get you there and back no problems.

Remember you need to get a visa in advance, you can't just turn up.

A visa from the Vietnamese consulate is more expensive, more hassle in advance arranging it, but less hassle when you get to Hanoi/Saigon, as you just go straight in.

The visa on arrival is cheaper and you can arrange it very easily online. I used myvietnamvisa.com last time I went. You do need to queue up for a while at the airport to get your paperwork processed which can be very quick or take hours depending on if they can be arsed that day.
 
McShug said:
Thanks for all the replies,
surprisingly out of all the flights looked at hardly any go via Bangkok and the ones that do are quite expensive
but a few go via Hong Kong, so that's looking good for a stopover on the way home.



Economy is fine and up to £750
I can't get Skyscanner to give me the option of a multi-city flight into Hanoi and out of Ho Chi Minh.

When I have looked at Ebookers, the three options I liked were:

Vietnam Airlines direct - £580 from Gatwick, (handy for us as we live just outside Brighton)
Asiana Airlines via Seoul - £570 from Heathrow,
British Airways/Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong - £650 from Heathrow

I have previously flown with British Airways but don't know anyone who has flown either
Vietnam or Asiana Airlines?
Click to expand...

I have flown with Vietnam airline,but it was many years ago it got me from A-B,but things have changed i cant see their being any problem over any other airline theses days :)
 
mid_gen said:
Remember you need to get a visa in advance, you can't just turn up.

A visa from the Vietnamese consulate is more expensive, more hassle in advance arranging it, but less hassle when you get to Hanoi/Saigon, as you just go straight in.

The visa on arrival is cheaper and you can arrange it very easily online. I used myvietnamvisa.com last time I went. You do need to queue up for a while at the airport to get your paperwork processed which can be very quick or take hours depending on if they can be arsed that day.
Click to expand...

Not entirely true, my partners brother is a pilot based in HK. He and his wife flew in to Vietnam without any form and visa and were granted one on arrival and at a far cheaper rate than any pre-arranged ones. My partner repeated this whilst with them at Christmas, flying in to Da Nang.

Of course the official advice is that you require a visa and for peace of mind one would be advised to do so.. just in case!!
 
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I just moved from Hong Kong where I lived for 4 years. Everyone I know that travelled to Vietnam arranged a visa in advance.

I flew into Hanoi and one of our party put his visa documentation in his checked luggage and we ended up sat there for hours as they flat out would not let him through. Eventually we picked up his luggage, and managed to find a bit of the airport where we could throw his visa documents over a barrier.

I would not recommended going without a visa in advance unless you fancy a lengthy wait or immediate flight home.
 
Dont forget it is still an communist country and like all communist they can be real pain in the ass official :(
 
McShug said:
We are travelling to Vietnam next February, and have started looking at flights,
any recommendations?
also has anyone flown with Vietnam Airlines or Asiana Airlines?
we also have a few days available at the end of the holiday to have as a stopover,
again any recommendations?

thanks in advance
Click to expand...
I visited Vietnam back in January and took British Airways which was affordable and had good food in the flight.

I stopped over on Singapore before heading to Vietnam and highly recommend spending a few days there.

In Vietnam make sure you visit sapa and halong Bay but do check the weather forecast before booking. Book those when you reach there.

If you need anymore tips or even a personal tour guide around hanoi send me a PM mate.

I made lots of friends while I was there on my own.

Check my Flickr to see some pics of what to expect in Vietnam. Amazing country.

O and do get a visa here. Less hassle and easy to get. Not expensive to be honest.
 
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I live in Mui ne which is about 5 hrs from HCMC in the South. I don't often fly home but when I do its always via Bangkok and usually with Air Asia and then the cheapest long haul carrier I can get. Vietnam is an amazing country and will give you no end of opportunities to break out the camera. If you would like any more info on specific places just drop me a line and I will try to help out.
 
For the free days at the end, and assuming you end up in the south, Cambodia is well worth a visit. Phnom Pen is an interesting city and there's Ankor Wat of course. You can fly out of Siem Riep airport which is very close to Ankor Wat.

I would agree with getting your visas in advance btw. The Vietnamese one is dead easy and fairly cheap to get in the UK. Saves you queueing for hours.
 
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Agree with Angkor Wat, if you have some free days at the end. Siem Reap is a lovely little town and....well, Angkor Wat itself is a photographer's paradise.

Cambodia I find a much more agreeable place than Vietnam. People are friendlier and less likely to rip you off, which sadly EVERYONE in Vietnam will be trying to, ALL the time. Keep your wits about you.
 
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