Part 3, the last part about the airlines I know about flying to Europe, because, of course, there are many more airlines but I did not find or I was not very interested in researching.

 

✈️ Vietnam Airlines: Unfortunately, the national airline does not have direct flights to the Netherlands, otherwise I would not have needed to bother searching and just fly straight to HCMC with VNA. It is still possible to book tickets because VNA has code-share flights with KLM, Air France, or Lufthansa, flying to Frankfurt or Paris before heading to Vietnam. Taking these short flights with other airlines is okay too. However, sometimes these tickets can be quite expensive. Another option that many people in the Netherlands use is driving to Frankfurt or Paris and then taking a VNA flight. My parents-in-law used to do that in the past because they wanted a non-stop flight. They praised VNA highly, saying that compared to many 5-star airlines, it is not inferior, and compared to KLM, Air France, it is even better. Still, on some days, flying with VNA includes a layover in Hanoi, so if you are flying to Hanoi, sometimes the tickets are cheaper than flying to HCMC (Saigon). I remember in the past, VNA tickets were even more expensive than Emirates and Etihad, so there were a few times I flew from Frankfurt to Saigon without using VNA due to the price issue.

 

✈️ Bamboo Airways is a hot name that many people have mentioned when booking tickets recently, especially to France or Germany because they offer direct flights. However, Bamboo Airways does not show up on Google Flights, but occasionally, you can find a few connecting flights if you use Skyscanner to search. The prices are competitive, and both the service and aircraft receive positive comments, but the flight options are still limited. For instance, in a week, they only offer direct flights to Saigon on Thursdays, while the rest of the week requires a stopover in Hanoi. My cousin, who flew with them a few months ago, mentioned that enduring a few-hour layover in Hanoi can be quite tedious. Since I have a young child, I am also concerned about in-flight entertainment, so I looked for reviews, and it seems that there is not much available at the moment. Just the other day, a friend who took a long-haul flight with Bamboo Airways mentioned that their kids were bored because there was not much to watch or do. My husband read somewhere that Bamboo is planning to cooperate with KLM, so we hope they will offer a direct flight from Amsterdam to Saigon, making it convenient for our family.

A recent note that I received from my friends in Vietnam was that Bamboo Airways would stop most of their flights.

 

✈️ KLM, Air France: Well-established European airlines often have flights to Vietnam, sometimes in partnership with Vietnam Airlines and sometimes on their own. The prices seem competitive, and my recent observation is that more people in the Netherlands consider flights with KLM as they usually have a codeshare with VNA. Their possibilities are either stopping in Paris, Frankfurt or Bangkok, Singapore (I have a separate post about my experience with KLM transiting in Bangkok).

 

✈️ Thai Airways: Most have 2 stops if flying from Amsterdam, meaning you have to transfer to an airport in Europe before flying to Bangkok to return to HCMC. I find it quite complicated when traveling with a child so I usually skip this option. It is like spending the whole day at the airport, then getting on a plane for about 45 minutes to 1 hour to Copenhagen, for example, and then waiting for the next flight.

 

✈️ Eva Air: I was introduced by my Dutch friend’s parents for their excellent service and quality, but when I searched for tickets recently, I did not find suitable options because the ticket prices were not competitive. My friend’s parents used to visit Vietnam or fly via Eva Air to Bangkok before continuing to Saigon. Eva Air usually involves a layover in Taipei, so if I were traveling without my child, I might choose Eva Air for a day trip to Taipei and enjoy the city.

 

✈️ China Airlines: Some people in the Vietnamese community in the Netherlands mentioned that China Airlines usually has special offers, but I could not find them on the flight search tools I used during the Lunar New Year period, so perhaps the discounts are available at other times.

 

✈️ Korean Air: The quality of Korean Air is quite impressive, according to my close Korean friend who always flies directly to Amsterdam.  Recently on search engines, Korean Air appeared a lot but had the same problem as Cathay Pacific. The flight from Amsterdam to Saigon is short, but the layover on the SGN-AMS route in Seoul is quite long. If I did not need a visa and could enter Seoul for 24 hours, I would have chosen this option to go out or visit my best friend. Unfortunately, like Hong Kong, I need to apply for a visa, so I have to opt for airlines with layovers of no more than 4 hours for safety.

 

✈️ Asiana Airlines: Last time, my friend tried to help me search on Google Flights for flexible flights and found that Asiana appeared, but I encountered the same issue as with Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, or Qatar Airways.

 

These are the airlines I know and have considered during my flight search. You can use these as references when looking for tickets, and if necessary, visit their websites for more information. Otherwise, just use flight search tools like Google Flights, Skyscanner, Booking, Kayak, Agoda, Expedia, and others to get a comprehensive view of the dynamic airline market. Hope everyone finds a suitable flight for their journey!

 

Thu Trang – Co-founder of Eastex Travel