VietJetAir misleading ads and cheap ticket to Vietnam

Vietjetair advertises an INR 2100 one way ticket between Delhi and Vietnam's Saigon. This post explains the truth behind this advertisement.

VietJet Air, popularly known as Bikini airline, has planned India operations and are offering flights between Delhi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

They are advertising INR 2100 one way flight which reminded me of Indian airlines advertising Re 1 base fare and then adding 2000-3000 INR in taxes and fuel surcharges. Below is the reality of VietJetAir's pricing.

Points to note:

• Promo fares would have been a few dollars cheaper- sold out now.
• Seat selection costs 3.7 to 11 USD +tax per flight per passenger (depending on which part of the plane)
• Meals about 6-11 USD per meal + tax
• Baggage some 20-30 USD one way+tax
• Priority check-in 6-7 USD extra+tax
• Convenience fee: 10.26 USD

So your cheapest ticket to Saigon will cost min 200 USD (only 10 $ convenience fee is added, no meals, no bag etc) and can cost up to  280 $ if these services are included. So that is 3 to 5 times the round trip base fare advertised (INR 2100 or USD 29).

Adding all these you are looking at 331 USD for a return ticket to Bali from Delhi (23.5k) or 3 times the base fare.

INR 15000 return ticket to Vietnam is not very cheap but not that bad either. AirAsia tickets often cost in this range, a little less if you are lucky.

Other points to note:

• VietJetAir is not selling tickets beyond April 2020- Not sure why.
• VietJetAir flies 4 times a week to SGN and 3 times a week to Hanoi from Delhi
• VietJetAir flies to lots of destinations around Asia but doesn't seem to be selling one stop tickets to these destinations, except a few like Bali. Not sure why.
• Don't expect cabin crew to wear bikini all the time. It is only a publicity stunt done a few times to garner cheap publicity. Cabin crew's normal uniform is similar to all other airlines.
• Indigo flies to Saigon from Kolkata

Are you planning to visit Vietnam on VietJetAir? It might be a good idea to enter via Hanoi and return via Saigon (or vice-versa) to optimize your plans. Else you have to come back to where you entered.

Incidentally, the cover photo of my latest book is of VietJetAir. Buy your copy here

Read my Vietnam posts:

Vietnam trip in low budget * Halong Bay cruise * Vietnam Tourist scam alerts * Vietnam train journey experience  * Managing Veg food in Vietnam * 10 places to explore in Ho Chi Minh city within walking distance * Firing M16 Assault Rifle * Vietnam vs Thailand * Vietnam tourist visa for Indians *