albatross710
Established Member
- Joined
- May 15, 2004
- Posts
- 3,799
For a while, I’d been eyeing VietJet’s attractively priced direct flights from Brisbane (BNE) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN). That got us talking about a longer Vietnam trip.
In December 2024, I finally booked. What began as a cheap getaway idea evolved into a six-week journey — and what was supposed to be economy ended up being Business Class both ways.
Booking Process & Fare Comparison
VietJet’s website is straightforward, but the best deals weren’t there. Via Skyscanner → Trip.com → APG Systems, I landed Business Class fares for ~AUD 1,200, compared to ~AUD 2,050 directly through VietJet.
I initially booked economy for the return leg. Then, thanks to a 50% off promo, I upgraded one segment from Deluxe Economy to Business. Unfortunately, this left Mrs. Albatross in economy. I checked the price for upgrading Mrs Albatross and eventually got her upgraded for a total fare of $1,045 also. Next time I book Vietjet internationally I would start with a economy flex fare and just monitor for J promotions.
One major plus: no change fees with VietJet. You can rebook, upgrade, or shift dates without penalty — a refreshing approach.
Another win — I had pre-purchased meals in economy. When upgrading, I could remove them, and the credit was applied toward the Business fare.
The site lacks clarity at times. For instance, the airport transfer add-on is really just a prepaid taxi voucher — not a fixed-price ride. If the fare exceeds the voucher, you pay the difference (and no refunds for unused value).
Cost comparison:
VietJet's phone support was responsive and helpful. Initially, I couldn’t retrieve my booking because Trip.com had listed my name as “Last Name First Name MR.” To access it on VietJet’s site, I had to enter the “MR” suffix manually. Clunky, but solvable.
Strangely, Mrs. Albatross’s booking worked via browser but not through the app.
Skyjoy is Vietjet's loyalty program. Working out what I might get for our flights could not be found on the website. Anyway I signed up and I did struggle to get my skyjoy number into my booking. Online chat was not helpful. Actually I never had any enquiry handled usefully via online chat. Even the check-in agent could not add my skyjoy number. Subsequent to my journey and making a retroactive travel claim it was that pesky MR in my booking that prevented it posting. In the end the return biz flight earned about 6,000 SJ miles enough to redeem a base economy SGN-DAD flight about $100 value
My departure aligned with Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The flight before mine was cancelled; mine was rescheduled,twice. Trip.com was useless until VietJet processed the changes — after that, their automated systems handled everything fine.
Check-in at Brisbane was smooth. Many people maximise the vietjet's generous baggage allowance
The current Plaza Premium Lounge setup is a joke — cramped and underwhelming. If I had paid for access, I’d be annoyed. It also closed before boarding at 12:30pm (boarding was at 1:00pm for this rescheduled VJ84 flight).
I did get to enjoy a coffee while watching the weather.
Boarding was messy. Business Class passengers were sent down the aerobridge early, only to stand waiting with special assistance passengers while the aircraft was still being prepared — about 15 minutes of confusion.
At SGN, we disembarked via a remote stand. Business Class passengers were given their own minibus — something we also encountered on Vietnam Airlines domestic flights. It seems to be the norm in Vietnam.
In the weeks leading up the the flight any check of flightware shows that both Vj83 and VJ84 most often are 60-90 minutes late to depart. My flights were no different. Knowing this, I wasn't surprised when boarding didn't start until after the schedule time. Just role with it, it's a low cost Vietnamese carrier providing a low cost way for the disapora to travel.
I’d read in forums that the aircraft interiors were showing their age. True — but they were clean and well-presented. Crew were friendly and attentive, with blankets and amenity kits at each seat.
The angled lie-flat seats reminded me of older Singapore Airlines 747 Business Class. The seat controls were a bit sticky, but they eventually got there.
During the boarding process there is an opportunity for economy passengers to pay to change seats. I noticed that this lead to the majority of economy front seats being taken. On the return VJ83 sector the selling of the spare seats caused some drama when some very late passengers arrived to find their 'extra legroom' seats had been sold.
The prices to snag a better seat look reasonable so if you are flying VJ economy be prepared to pay to move.
Outbound catering was underwhelming. VJ83 (SGN–BNE) and VJ84 (BNE–SGN) share the same menu. From what I understand, catering is done out of SGN for both flights. With my flight delayed, the meals had clearly seen better days.
This is the J menu which come s in a nice wooden presentation box. coughtail menu on the reverse side Business passengers can also order freely from the economy menu, which helped a little.
Tasty little salad with this one prawn delicately cut to appear as two.
This is the same fish meal delayed VJ84 on the left looking dry. On the right fresh out of SGN.
Sticky rice with quail eggs. Super dried out rice.
I tried to buy duty-free gifts onboard, but VietJet’s system is vague. Items are marked with international prices but still may not be available, depending on the route — and mine weren’t.
In a surprise gesture on my return flight they provided a birthday recognition for having my birthday this month. Choice was a branded USB stick, a charging cable or this passport cover.
Summary
Vietjet provided a convenient direct BNE-SGN service which was worth the money we paid for the flights. The staff worked hard and made for a pleasant flight experience. Yes, the flights operated late. We did not expect them to be on schedule. The meals were not premium airlines meals but there were varied and interesting.
We will happily fly with VJ again. And with right purchasing strategy I expect to be able to achieve $2k return in J.
Happy to share more details if you're planning a VietJet Business trip or navigating their booking maze.
In December 2024, I finally booked. What began as a cheap getaway idea evolved into a six-week journey — and what was supposed to be economy ended up being Business Class both ways.
Booking Process & Fare Comparison
VietJet’s website is straightforward, but the best deals weren’t there. Via Skyscanner → Trip.com → APG Systems, I landed Business Class fares for ~AUD 1,200, compared to ~AUD 2,050 directly through VietJet.
I initially booked economy for the return leg. Then, thanks to a 50% off promo, I upgraded one segment from Deluxe Economy to Business. Unfortunately, this left Mrs. Albatross in economy. I checked the price for upgrading Mrs Albatross and eventually got her upgraded for a total fare of $1,045 also. Next time I book Vietjet internationally I would start with a economy flex fare and just monitor for J promotions.
One major plus: no change fees with VietJet. You can rebook, upgrade, or shift dates without penalty — a refreshing approach.
Another win — I had pre-purchased meals in economy. When upgrading, I could remove them, and the credit was applied toward the Business fare.
Website Quirks & Add-ons
The site lacks clarity at times. For instance, the airport transfer add-on is really just a prepaid taxi voucher — not a fixed-price ride. If the fare exceeds the voucher, you pay the difference (and no refunds for unused value).
Cost comparison:
- VietJet prepaid transfer: AUD 15.25 (~VND 250k)
- Grab to my apartment: VND 135k
- Taxi rank fare: VND 300k
Customer Service & Booking Glitches
VietJet's phone support was responsive and helpful. Initially, I couldn’t retrieve my booking because Trip.com had listed my name as “Last Name First Name MR.” To access it on VietJet’s site, I had to enter the “MR” suffix manually. Clunky, but solvable.
Strangely, Mrs. Albatross’s booking worked via browser but not through the app.
Skyjoy is Vietjet's loyalty program. Working out what I might get for our flights could not be found on the website. Anyway I signed up and I did struggle to get my skyjoy number into my booking. Online chat was not helpful. Actually I never had any enquiry handled usefully via online chat. Even the check-in agent could not add my skyjoy number. Subsequent to my journey and making a retroactive travel claim it was that pesky MR in my booking that prevented it posting. In the end the return biz flight earned about 6,000 SJ miles enough to redeem a base economy SGN-DAD flight about $100 value
Flight Changes: Thanks, TC Alfred
My departure aligned with Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The flight before mine was cancelled; mine was rescheduled,twice. Trip.com was useless until VietJet processed the changes — after that, their automated systems handled everything fine.
Airport & Lounge Experience
Check-in at Brisbane was smooth. Many people maximise the vietjet's generous baggage allowance
The current Plaza Premium Lounge setup is a joke — cramped and underwhelming. If I had paid for access, I’d be annoyed. It also closed before boarding at 12:30pm (boarding was at 1:00pm for this rescheduled VJ84 flight).
I did get to enjoy a coffee while watching the weather.
Boarding was messy. Business Class passengers were sent down the aerobridge early, only to stand waiting with special assistance passengers while the aircraft was still being prepared — about 15 minutes of confusion.
At SGN, we disembarked via a remote stand. Business Class passengers were given their own minibus — something we also encountered on Vietnam Airlines domestic flights. It seems to be the norm in Vietnam.
Onboard Experience
In the weeks leading up the the flight any check of flightware shows that both Vj83 and VJ84 most often are 60-90 minutes late to depart. My flights were no different. Knowing this, I wasn't surprised when boarding didn't start until after the schedule time. Just role with it, it's a low cost Vietnamese carrier providing a low cost way for the disapora to travel.
I’d read in forums that the aircraft interiors were showing their age. True — but they were clean and well-presented. Crew were friendly and attentive, with blankets and amenity kits at each seat.
The angled lie-flat seats reminded me of older Singapore Airlines 747 Business Class. The seat controls were a bit sticky, but they eventually got there.
During the boarding process there is an opportunity for economy passengers to pay to change seats. I noticed that this lead to the majority of economy front seats being taken. On the return VJ83 sector the selling of the spare seats caused some drama when some very late passengers arrived to find their 'extra legroom' seats had been sold.
The prices to snag a better seat look reasonable so if you are flying VJ economy be prepared to pay to move.
Meals & Inflight Service
Outbound catering was underwhelming. VJ83 (SGN–BNE) and VJ84 (BNE–SGN) share the same menu. From what I understand, catering is done out of SGN for both flights. With my flight delayed, the meals had clearly seen better days.
This is the J menu which come s in a nice wooden presentation box. coughtail menu on the reverse side Business passengers can also order freely from the economy menu, which helped a little.
Tasty little salad with this one prawn delicately cut to appear as two.
This is the same fish meal delayed VJ84 on the left looking dry. On the right fresh out of SGN.
Sticky rice with quail eggs. Super dried out rice.
I tried to buy duty-free gifts onboard, but VietJet’s system is vague. Items are marked with international prices but still may not be available, depending on the route — and mine weren’t.
In a surprise gesture on my return flight they provided a birthday recognition for having my birthday this month. Choice was a branded USB stick, a charging cable or this passport cover.
Summary
Vietjet provided a convenient direct BNE-SGN service which was worth the money we paid for the flights. The staff worked hard and made for a pleasant flight experience. Yes, the flights operated late. We did not expect them to be on schedule. The meals were not premium airlines meals but there were varied and interesting.
We will happily fly with VJ again. And with right purchasing strategy I expect to be able to achieve $2k return in J.
Happy to share more details if you're planning a VietJet Business trip or navigating their booking maze.
