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I am an expat living in Hanoi where I have travelled extensively internationally and domestically on Vietnam Airlines for the last four years. I envy all on this forum who have had positive experiences on this airline as it is my experience that while the safety appears to be good, the service leaves a lot to be desired! From check-in to boarding to meals I have bad service time and time again. Surly and inattentive staff who prefer to spend their time the galley eating and talking and inedible food are commonplace on flights. There is inevitably a problem at check-in and customer service is non-existent even when flying business class. Toilets are often in a foul state shortly after takeoff and I have never observed these being cleaned or checked during flights. There is often no warning of delays or stopovers (ie when flying Hanoi to Melbourne or Sydney it is ticketed and marked as a direct flight - really it is a domestic flight to Saigon then everyone off and you have to carry your own bags through the customs area, wait a couple of hours and board a flight to Australia - similar situation for Hanoi - Phnom Penh where there is no warning that there is a 1hr stopover in Laos). The staff seem to have the attitude that passengers are lucky even to be on the plane and should not waste the staff's valuable time by making requests for blankets, pillows, water etc. While within Vietnam there is no option for domestic flights - I would strongly recommend anyone considering a long haul to Vietnam to choose another airline.

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