Cost of Vietnam Internal Flights
Replies: 23 - Last Post: May 25, 2008 9:19 PM Last Post By: mfhau
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Cost of Vietnam Internal Flights
I am planning a 3 weeks trip to VN in September, and I have been checking online the cost of internal flights, and no matter where I check them I always get the same price, but according to other threads, this looks rather expensive, can somebody tell me if these are the real prices or it it possible to get them cheaper:Ho Chi Minh (SGN) –Hanoi (HAN) 225 $ Vietnam Airlines
Hanoi (HAN) –Hue (HUI) 138 $ Vietnam Airlines
Da Nang (DAD) –Siam Reap (REP) 285 $ Vietnam Airlines
Siem Reap (REP) –Saigon (SGN) 143 $ Vietnam Airlines
Thank you.
1
I don't know where you are getting these inflated prices from, but HCMC-Hanoi is around $95, if you buy/book them in VN (ie, direct with VA or through a VN travel agent).ivivu.com has a fairly comprehensive listing, and I think VA also has something up and running now.
2
Pacific (a subsidiary of the tenth-rate Australian carrier, Jetstar) are not always cheaper, and Vietnam Airlines is the better carrier. Whenever I have the choice, I go with VA.As 3,257,000 VND = approx 210 USD, the Pacific price is no cheaper than VA, who charge 65 USD per person for Hue/Hanoi economy.
3
hey foriseverytime i've looked on Viet air site they have been dearer than Pacific?
But the big bonus for me was that i could book & pay online with Pacific. I was only told later that i could use our guide to buy Viet tickets for us.
I didnt want to wait til i got there to attain tickets as we only have 2 weeks & wanted everything booked & payed for before we got there. Comes from having an obbsesive nature! Plan, plan, plan & organise everything! Also didnt want to waste the time we have there chasing flights etc. It works for me
4
Pacific Airlines pricing structure is different to Vietnam Airlines - and in nearly all cases is cheaper. A certain number of seats on each flight are really cheap, and sell quickly. Pacific is a low-cost airline and Vietnam Airlines is "full service" (well, more correctly "not a low-cost airline").Jestar only has a minority interest in Pacific Airlines - the major shareholder is the Vietnam Government. Prior to this it was a subsidiary of Vietnam Airlines, but the government came to it's senses and thought that competition might not be so good if Vietnam Airlines' main competitor was also its subsidiary. Since then Pacific has started some new routes (Nha Trang, Dalat, Vinh..) and employed a bunch of foreigners with the assistance of Jetstar.
For cheap flights, and ease of booking on the internet - I would choose Pacific Airlines.
For better reliability, service and flexibility with changes to tickets - I would choose Vietnam Airlines (which I do).
Overall, the price differences are that much unless you get the really cheap Pacific tickets,
6
Thanks Jimbo, I thought Jetstar's share had gone beyond that... but you're right, Jetstar has a minority interest (which will reach 30% in the next 12 months or so). Jetstar are in effect deciding on the "shape" of PA, who had fairly serious financial worries until the rescue.Pacific Airlines Chairman Pham Vu Hien's comment about the reasons for the capital infusion is not exactly one to fill me with confidence: "Pacific Airlines needs capital, good experts and good technologies." Having shopped PA around all over Asia, and failed to elicit any serious interest from players like Singapore Airlines, only Jeststar would come to the party, which couldn't have been their preferred outcome.
7
redgum, I prefer to buy at least some of my air tickets in advance too, but I do it through someone like vietnamstay.com - there's a small margin involved, but they are very efficient, and meet me at my hotel with all the tickets as soon as I arrive. Online through ivivu would be a little cheaper, but there's a lot to be said for the personal service.10
Hi ForisYes i'm a bit compulsive so i like to be organised, plus my mother & aunty are going with me so they were a bit unsure about waiting til we got there. I did get the Viet tour guide to buy the ticket with Viet air for me & we'll be doing a river dinner cruise with us the night after we arrive & will give us tickets then, so i'm really happy with his service. I would have got him to get all our tickets for us except i didnt know at the time he offered that service. But its all worked out ok, i think forums like this & researching are the only way to go.
14
You can get a discount on Vietnam airlines if you buy ahead (even 3 days) from their office. I've done this a number of times. One time I needed to change the date at the last minute and was able to do this by paying the difference between the discounted ticket and the full price. You can't lose.
