Vietnam Airlines Customer Service Plan

Vietnam Airlines is in business to provide safe and friendly air transportation to our customers along with numerous related services. For our customer’s benefit, we will address a number of the services offered when you take a flight with Vietnam Airlines in the Vietnam Airlines Customer Service Plan outlined below:

1. Occasionally, we may not be able to provide you with a seat on a specific flight even if you hold a ticket and check in on time

In some cases, we are unable to provide seats to customers even though they have tickets and have checked in. This situation occurs if the number of customers who check in exceeds the actual number of available seats.

If a passenger voluntarily gives up his/her seat to another passenger or is denied boarding, we will compensate and arrange an alternative flight. We will notify the passenger, explain the benefits and compensate according to Vietnam Airlines' policy, except for cases exempted from compensation according to the law.

The policies and procedures that we follow ensure you receive fair and consistent treatment if such an over sales event occurs.

2. Responsibility for baggage damage

If your checked baggage is damaged or does not come off the conveyor belt, please file a report at our Lost and Found Counter located at the arrival station, as soon as possible. Our staff or handling agent will provide you with assistance.

Our responsibility for the damaged baggage and cargo is specified in Article 16 of the conditions of carriage of Vietnam Airlines and Chapter VIII of the conditions of cargo carriage of Vietnam Airlines.

3. Provide information of air tickets cancellation/refund or itinerary change

For ticket refund, please contact the issuing offices for assistance.

For refunding the tickets purchased on Vietnam Airlines’ website, please contact Vietnam Airlines branch offices or complete the Refund request form and email it to onlinesupport@vietnamairlines.com or contact Vietnam Airlines’ branch offices.

If a passenger submits a refund request via email, the refund request must be sent from the address registered during the reservation and purchase of tickets; otherwise, the request will not be accepted.

For Vietnam local payment by cash at branches of Vietcombank (VCB), Techcombank (TCB), convenient stores (Airpay or Payoo), please go to Vietnam Airlines branch offices in Vietnam for the refund.

Depending on the fare rules, the refund may or may not be accepted; if the refund is accepted, a certain fee may be charged. The refund will be credited to the payment card or payment account used to purchase the tickets.

For detailed information about ticket cancellation, refund or exchange, please refer to our Conditions of Online Booking.

4. Meet customers’ essential needs during irregular flights

4.1. Services provided while passengers are not on board for all Vietnam Airlines’ operating flights

4.1.1. Services provision at the airport

The passenger having confirmed ticket and having been informed of the delay/cancellation shall be provided with following services:

From 1 hour to less than 2 hours: Drinks
From 2 hours to less than 6 hours: Meals and drinks
More than 6 hours: Accommodation according to actual condition at the airport

4.1.2. Compensation payment

In case of a long delay, cancellation or denied boarding on flights departing from Vietnam, passengers shall be compensated as Notice 927 & 928 dated August 13, 2023 signed by the Minister of Transport on non-refundable advance compensation in air transport.

For flights outside Vietnam, compensation shall be applied in compliance with the current law of concerned countries or our regulations.

Depending on specific conditions, the compensation can be conducted at the airport or Vietnam Airlines’ Branches. We will make compensation in one of the following methods: By cash, wire transfers, payment vouchers or services provided by Vietnam Airlines based on agreement with the passenger.

Passengers are requested to submit a written request within 90 days from the scheduled departure date if they have not received compensation or believe that the compensation is not in accordance with the law. We will respond or make compensation within 7 days from the date of receipt of the written request.

4.1.3. Waiver of liability

Under the provisions of the Government of Vietnam and relevant countries, Vietnam Airlines will be exempt from obligation to provide services and compensation in the following cases:

The delay or cancellation of flight was caused by Force Majeure conditions such as an Act of God, war, strike, aviation security or request by competent authorities.
We prove that passengers have been informed of the cancellation no later than 24 hours prior to the scheduled time of departure, or that passengers have not registered their contact address; or failure to contact with their registered address.
If passenger is denied boarding due to the passenger‘s reasons (health conditions, disease, passenger’s failure to comply with Carrier’s Conditions of Carriage, the terms and conditions of the contract of carriage, laws and regulation, aviation security, request of authorities….
Other exemptions.

4.1.4. Refund

a. For flights that are fully local in Vietnam or departing from Vietnam to foreign destinations other than the United States

Passengers will be exempt from restrictions and refund fees (if any) if:

Vietnam Airlines changes the schedule at least 1 day before the expected departure date, and the flights are affected by:

Delay/early departure, which results in loss of connection to the next stop in the itinerary, and no alternative is available;
Delay/early departure for 4 hours or more;
Cancellation and the substitute flight departing later or earlier than the original flight from 4 hours or more.
Cancellation and there is no alternative or the alternative causes the itinerary to be changed;
Passengers are denied transport.

Vietnam Airlines changes the schedule within 1 day before the expected departure date, and the flights are affected by:

Delay for 4 hours or more;
Cancellation/early departure for 15 minutes or more
Passengers are denied carriage due to Vietnam Airlines’ faults

If a change in flight schedules affects the flight connection, passengers will be exempt from the restriction and refund charges (if any) without taking into account the time limit mentioned above.

If a passenger does not show up for a flight and Vietnam Airlines alters the flight schedule:

If the flight schedule change notice is sent to the passenger at least 24 hours before the original departure time, the refund policy will apply under the fare rules.
If the flight schedule change notice is sent to the passenger within 24 hours of the original departure time, the passenger will be refunded the ticket, with no restrictions, change/refund fees, no-show charges, or handling fees (if applicable).

Passengers can refer to the following related regulations:

Law on Civil Aviation of Vietnam
Circular 36/2014/TT-BGTVT dated August 28, 2014 of the Ministry of Transport regulating the quality of passenger services at airports
Circular 81/2014/TT-BGTVT dated December 31, 2014 of the Ministry of Transport regulating air carriage and general aviation activities
Official gazette No. 927 & 928 dated August 13, 2023 of the Ministry of Transport on non-refundable advanced compensations in air transportation of passengers
EC261/2004 dated February 11, 2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights (applies to flights to/from an EU member state)
General conditions of carriage for passengers and baggage of Vietnam Airlines.

b. For itineraries departing from Korea

If passengers request to cancel their booking or refund their tickets within 24 hours from the time of ticket issuance, they will be refunded the entire value of the purchased ticket, free of cancellation fee and no-show fee (if any), without any restrictions on ticket refund.

If passengers request to cancel or refund the ticket after 24 hours from the time of issuance, the refund policy will be applied under the Fare Rules.

c. For itineraries from/to the United States or within the United States

Within 24 hours of booking (if the booking is made at least 1 week before departure): Passengers can cancel their booking and receive a full refund for the purchased ticket, with no refund fee and no application of ticket refund conditions.
After this twenty four (24) hour period, the refund amount will be calculated based on the fare rules of the tickets, except for the following cases:

- In case the ticket is non-refundable and passenger is prohibited from traveling from/to US or within US by government restriction or prohibition or is advised by a medical professional not to travel from/to US or within US due to a serious infectious disease, passenger will be refunded the fare, taxes/fees/charges, passengers surcharge (YQ)/system administration surcharge (YR) to the original form of payment. Passengers must present travel restriction order or medical certificate from a licensed treating medical professional, as applicable.

- Due to force majeure causing Vietnam Airlines to cancel or significantly delay or change passenger's flight schedule, the ticket is permitted to refund. Any change/refund restrictions and change/refund fee, handling/processing fees (if any) will be waived.

- In case Vietnam Airlines has canceled or significantly delayed or changed passenger's flight schedule and passenger does not accept Vietnam Airlines' alternative solution(s), even the ticket has been involuntarily changed once, the ticket is permitted to refund. Any refund restriction, penalty fee and handling/processing fees will be waived.

- In case of no-showed ticket and Vietnam Airlines has significantly changed or delay the passenger's flight schedule, the ticket is permitted to refund. Any change/refund restrictions and change/refund fee, no-show fee, handling/processing fees (if any) will be waived.

The time to refund tickets to the original payment method is as follows:

- Credit card payment: refund within 07 business days after receiving the refund request;

- Payment by cash or check: refund within 20 calendar days after receiving the refund request.

4.1.5. Personal Data

Processing of all personal data relating to compensation or refund will be compliant with the applicable Data Protection regulations, namely the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR - Regulation (EU) 2016/679).

When your personal data are collected by Vietnam Airlines, you will be invited to read and agree with the Privacy Policy before validating and proceeding with any booking.

4.2. Services provided while passengers are on board for flights to/from Republic of Korea, People’s Republic of China

On the very few occasions where flights are delayed while passengers are on board (known as a tarmac delay) we will take all reasonable steps to ensure you are made as comfortable as possible. For those flights encountering a tarmac delay at airports in the Republic of Korea or the People’s Republic of China (including Hong Kong, Macao), we want to give our passengers the following assurances:

a. In the event of a lengthy on-ground delay, we will provide adequate food and drinking water no later than two hours after the aircraft leaves the gate or touches down unless our pilot-in-command determines such service threatens safety or security.

b. You will receive notifications regarding the status off the tarmac delay every 30 minutes while the aircraft is delayed, including the reason for the delay (if known).

c. We will not permit any tarmac delays without allowing passengers to deplane in case of three-hour-delay or more at airports in the People’s Republic of China or four-hour-delay or more at airports in the Republic of Korea. When a Tarmac delay exceeding three hours or four hours is expected, the flight will return to the gate to provide passengers an opportunity to deplane safely, unless:

The pilot-in-command determines that the safety and security of the passengers are not guaranteed (e.g., due to weather conditions, air traffic control issues or government directive); or
Air traffic control advises that returning to the gate or deplaning passengers at a location other than the gate would significantly disrupt airport operations

d. We have sufficient reasonable resources to implement the plan.

e. We have coordinated the station tarmac delay contingency plan with the airport operators and related agencies including immigration services authorities for the compliance of tarmac delay.

f. In the event that you are on a flight operated by one of Vietnam Airlines’ code-share partners, the operating carrier’s contingency plan for tarmac delays will apply.

5. Notify customers in a timely manner of changes in itineraries

When there is a change to your flight, we will notify you in a timely manner so as not to affect your itineraries. We will contact you about the schedule changes when the event is known, using the contact information you provide us in your reservation.

6. Disclose other policies that affect your travel

We provide information on our baggage allowance policy on our website at Baggage Information. Change to policy regarding baggage fees and the free baggage allowance will be published regularly on our website.

In case that you book a joint operation ticket, you should take note that the operating airline takes responsibilities for boarding procedure and baggage policy.

Cabin arrangement which shows seat layout (including seat pitch, seat, and width) and locations of the emergency exits is clearly displayed on our website at the following links:

For more information about boarding procedures, taxes, fee, charges and surcharges, please kindly refer to the following links:

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