Vietnam Airlines review: Vietnam airlines strategies to make money from people and provide very bad customer service

I am sharing my disappointment with Vietnam airlines. Please try to take this matter on the urgent matter.

I had a very disappointing experience with Vietnam Airlines.

The customer service at Sydney Airport during check-in was extremely rude, unprofessional, and disrespectful. The staff appeared to take advantage of the situation, knowing that passengers had no alternative at that stage. I was unnecessarily charged AUD 300 for my cabin bag after being told it did not meet the airline’s cabin dimensions and had to be treated as checked-in baggage.

This was both shocking and unacceptable, as I have travelled with the same cabin bag on multiple international airlines, none of which considered it a check-in bag. Even on my return journey from India, the same bag was accepted as cabin baggage without any charges by Vietnam airport staff there.

What was most disturbing was being told bluntly at Sydney Airport that if I did not pay, I could not travel. I was given only two options: pay AUD 300 or not travel at all. This behaviour clearly reflects unfair treatment of customers who are already under pressure and left with no choice.

The in-flight experience was equally disappointing. The entertainment screen was not working, and the food quality was extremely poor. The food had a strong unpleasant smell and appeared stale. I was moved to another seat due to these issues, but the replacement seat was uncomfortable and located far away from my child.

On the return flight, the food tray was broken, and once again I was moved to a seat away from my child, who required assistance while eating. As a result, my child did not eat at all due to the poor food quality and separation from family. This was extremely distressing as a parent.

Additionally, many crew members struggled to communicate effectively in English. When we asked for assistance, we often received incorrect items, which eventually discouraged us from requesting further help.

Despite paying a high fare in December, the service provided was far below acceptable standards. To make matters worse, I emailed Vietnam Airlines’ support team regarding these issues and received no response for over a month. Only after I requested cancellation of my return ticket did I receive a reply, offering a USD 50 voucher as compensation.

My concern is: after experiencing such harassment, inconvenience, and discomfort, why would I choose to travel with this airline again? It felt unreasonable to be forced to accept a voucher instead of fair compensation for the issues faced.

Overall, this was the worst airline experience I have had. I would strongly advise other travellers to reconsider before booking with Vietnam Airlines, as the service does not justify the cost and causes unnecessary stress and inconvenience.