We took a low-cost and cheapest airline, Vietjet Airlines, to fly from India via Vietnam to Bali. So what’s it actually like on this cheap-as-chips carrier?
Want to know our honest Vietjet Airlines review?
Vietjet has been flying from India to various destinations, including Vietnam and Bali. But we all know low-cost airlines can be annoying at times. We jumped on board to see whether it was worth flying with Vietjet.
Here is our experience:
They Have 3 Options For Seats On Vietjet Air (Vietnam Airlines)
If you want to fly Vietjet Airlines, you have four options
- Economy
- Deluxe
- SkyBoss
- Business
Image Credits: Deposit Photos
We Flew Vietjet Eco
With Vietjet Eco, you ONLY get 7 kg cabin baggage. We bought two tickets and added 20kgs extra to our tickets (which cost approximately us INR 5k extra).
When you buy Vietjet Eco, you do not get the following, but you can buy these for an additional fee:
- Checked baggage (Optional)
- Meals
- 03-in-01 amenities
- Seat selection
- Change flight date/ time/ route
- Fare difference (if any)
What About Other Categories of Seats On Vietjet
We haven’t personally tried any other categories, but here is what Vietjet has on its fare rules:
If You Buy Vietjet Deluxe, You Get the Following With the Ticket:
- 7kg (Group 1) or 10kg (Group 2) carry-on baggage
- 20kg (Group 1) or 40kg (Group 2) of checked baggage
- Food & beverage if your flight is over 7 hours
- Seat selection
- Change of flight, date or route are all permitted (fare difference applied, if any)
- Complimentary Deluxe Flight Care (not eligible for flights operated by Thai Vietjet)
If You Buy Vietjet Skyboss, You Get the Following With the Ticket:
- 10kg (Group 1) or 14kg (Group 2) carry-on baggage.
- 30kg (Group 1) or 50kg (Group 2) of checked baggage and 01 (one) golf club set (if any)
- Access to a luxury lounge
- Priority at check-in
- Baggage handling service privilege
- Priority at security checkpoints
- Private shuttle bus (applicable for boarding on the ground, except those airports that do not provide shuttle bus service)
- Priority for seat selection
- Complimentary food & beverages are served onboard
- 3-in-1 amenities
- Complimentary SkyBoss Flight Care
- Passengers entitled to credit shell (open ticket) valid for up to 24 months for unused tickets or in case of no-show
If You Buy Vietjet Business, You Get the Following With the Ticket:
When you get Sky Business, you get
- 18kg carry-on baggage.
- 40kg (Group 1) or 60kg (Group 2) of checked baggage and 01 (one) golf club set (if any)
- Access to a luxury lounge
- Priority at check-in
- Baggage handling service privileges
- Priority at security checkpoints
- Private shuttle bus
- Priority seat selection
- Complimentary food and beverages are served onboard
- 03-in-01 amenities
- Complimentary SkyBoss Flight Care
- Passengers entitled to credit shell (open ticket) valid for up to 24 months for unused tickets or in case of no-show
What Is Included in Eco Flights?
Cheap flights and fares often mislead you with hidden fees, but Vietjet is refreshingly transparent. The ticket price is inclusive of whatever they promise.
If you’re going with Eco, as we did, you might have to pay for baggage allowance.
The one thing we found ridiculous was giving an additional fee at the Delhi International Airport for seats. They charged us INR 600 for getting seat side by side on the plane from Delhi to Bali via Ho Chin Min city.
Surprisingly, they never charged us any money when we returned on the same flight.
Check-In
As we flew economy, we could not use the priority check-in queue. The usual queues were “really” long, and the staff seemed to take too much time to deal with each passenger.
Once we were at the counter, we were asked to pay extra money if we wanted seats beside each other (which is ridiculous). When we agreed to pay, they sent us to another counter to pay, with a queue and staff which cannot be described as “fast” or “smooth” or “convenient.”
Image Credit: Amit and Chhavi, Mrs Daaku Studio
Food
As we said, we flew economy, so the tickets didn’t include food. However, I did look at the menu, which has Vietnamese dishes as well as some popular south-east Asian dishes.
What I did notice was this
- Firstly, they wouldn’t accept anything else other a USD or VND. So, carry that if you want to make any in-flight purchases.
- Secondly, please carry your water bottle because they won’t have water to provide you. We asked the check-in counter if water was available on the flight, and he said NO. However, we did notice the food tray with water in it. We never asked them, so I am unsure if they would deny it. In any case, if you carry any of that currency, you can buy water.
- While on the flight back from Bali, the flight from Bali – Ho Chin Mihn City accepted cards if you wanted to buy anything. So, that’s a plus BUT don’t rely on any of it.
Entertainment
Absolutely nada. There is nothing except an inflight menu, a magazine, and safety procedure guidelines.
Make sure you carry your own entertainment.
Onboard Service and Experience
The aircraft was clean, and the crew was helpful.
The leg space was decent on the international flight from Delhi – Ho Chin Mihn. The aircraft from then onwards was smaller, but no one was sitting next to me, so I used the three seats and slept off.
Unfortunately, the flight from Bali to Ho Chin Mihn was cramped. It seemed like they added at least two rows to the aircraft, making it tight and displacing the windows. It was not a pleasant experience.
Was It an On-Time Departure?
Never.
All of our four flights were delayed. The flight from Bali to Ho Chin Mihn was delayed, and we were never informed about it. We got the information after coming to the airport, and it got further delayed, but they didn’t seem it essential to give a reason.
You cannot rely on Vietjet to take off on time and land on time. If you are booking connecting flights, make sure they are Vietjet too. If you don’t do that, you may miss your boarding.
Safety
Everything seemed safe on the airline, so that’s good to go.
However, they left our luggage in Ho Chin Mihn City and asked us to return to the Bali airport after 4-5 hours to collect it. They gave us a number to call, but NOONE would pick it up.
We had to hire a cab to return the same day, ruining our first evening in Bali. Thankfully, they did get our luggage.
What Were the Other Passengers Like?
All of them were decent.
What’s the Flight Time?
Approx 8-9 hours
Is It Worth Upgrading to Vietjet Deluxe, Skyboss or Business?
Yes, I do not recommend flying eco. If you can, you should at least fly Skyboss (unless its a short distance). Then it doesn’t matter.
Image Credit: Amit and Chhavi, Mrs Daaku Studio
My Rating For Vietjet Air: 2.8/5
Pros:
- You can find a lot of flights from and to many spots in Asia
- Budget-friendly and low airfares
Cons:
- Uncomfortable seats
- Frequent flight delays
- In-flight entertainment is absent
So would I recommend VietJet?
Yes, Vietjet seems okay to me if you want to fly on a budget and are ok with a bit of mismanagement. It is not for you if you cannot stand delays, less leg space, absence of information, and frequent forgotten baggage.
However, it’s great if you can let go of that and be happy that you snagged such an affordable ticket to fly internationally.