Overview
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Cultural Essentials
Beyond Tourism
Basics
When it comes to airfare, a little effort can save you a bundle. For those flexible enough to deal with the restrictions, courier fares are the cheapest. Tickets bought from consolidators and standby seating are also good deals, but last-minute specials, airfare wars, and charter flights often beat these fares. The key is to hunt around, to be flexible, and to ask persistently about discounts. Students, seniors, and those under 26 should never pay full price for a ticket.
Airfare prices to Vietnam peak between June and August and between November and January; international holidays are also expensive. The cheapest times to travel are from September to early November and from February to April. Midweek (M-Th morning) round-trip flights run US$40-50 cheaper than weekend flights, but they are generally more crowded and less likely to permit frequent-flyer upgrades. Not fixing a return date (“open return”) or arriving in and departing from different cities (“open-jaw”) can be pricier than round-trip flights. Patching one-way flights together is the most expensive way to travel. The two primary international airports are Nÿi Bài International Airport in Hà Nÿi and Tñn S£n International Airport in HCMC, although there is a smaller airport in à N{ng (à N{ng International Airport). Flights between Vietnam’s capitals or regional hubs—Hà Nÿi, HCMC, à N{ng, and Hu\—tend to be cheaper. It generally costs the same to fly into Hà Nÿi and out of HCMC or visa versa as it does to fly in and out of the same airport.
If Vietnam is only one stop on a more extensive globe-hop, consider a round-the-world (RTW) ticket. Tickets usually include at least five stops and are valid for about a year; prices range US$1200-5000. Try Northwest Airlines/KLM (US ☎800-447-4747; www.nwa.com) or Star Alliance, a consortium of 16 airlines including United Airlines (www.staralliance.com).
The lowest fares for round-trip flights to Hà Nÿi and HCMC from Australia should cost US$1100-1400; from the North American Atlantic Coast cost US$1100-1800; from the North American Pacific Coast US$900-1300; from New Zealand US$1000-1300; from the UK US$1000-1300, depending on the time of year. Tickets are a great deal more expensive during holidays. A handful of international flights into à N{ng are available, although they tend to be more expensive since the airport isn’t as large or as popular of a destination. Don’t forget your entry/exit form—you will need it when you leave. Also, remember there is a US$14 international departure tax you’ll have to pay as you leave (in US$ or Œ·ng).
While knowledgeable agents specializing in flights to Vietnam can make your life easy and help you save, they may not spend the time to find you the lowest possible fare—they get paid on commission. Travelers holding ISICs and IYTCs cards qualify for big discounts from student travel agencies. Most flights from budget agencies are on major airlines, but in peak season some may sell seats on less reliable chartered aircraft.
The commercial airlines’ lowest regular offer is the APEX (Advance Purchase Excursion) fare, which provides confirmed reservations and allows “open-jaw” tickets. Generally, reservations must be made seven to 21 days ahead of departure, with a seven- to 14-day minimum stay and up to 90-day maximum stay restrictions. These fares carry hefty cancellation and change penalties (fees rise in summer). Book high-season APEX fares early. Use Expedia (www.expedia.com) or Travelocity (www.travelocity.com) to get an idea of the lowest published fares, then use the resources outlined here to try and beat those fares. Low-season fares should be cheaper than the high-season (June-Aug. and Nov.-Jan.) ones listed here.
Standard commercial carriers like American (for Canada and the US) or Qantas (for Australia and New Zealand) will probably offer the most convenient flights, but they won’t be the cheapest, unless you manage to grab a special promotion or airfare war ticket. You will probably find flying one of the following airlines a better deal, if any of their limited departure points is convenient for you. Let’s Go does not endorse any of these airlines; they’re just suggestions to get you started.
Compared to other ways of getting around Southeast Asia, plane is relatively more convenient. Vietnam Airlines is a logical choice for getting around the area. Some other popular airlines include Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways, Malaysian Airlines, and Pacific Airlines. In the Practical Information section of each large city introduction, you can find out about travel agencies that offer the cheapest and most up-to-date information on plane travel in Southeast Asia.
Traveling standby requires considerable flexibility in arrival and departure dates and cities. Companies dealing in standby flights sell vouchers rather than tickets, along with the promise to get you to your destination (or near your destination) within a certain window of time (typically 1-5 days). You call in before your specific window of time to hear your flight options and the probability that you will be able to board each flight. You can then decide which flights you want to try to make, show up at the appropriate airport at the appropriate time, present your voucher, and board if space is available. Vouchers can usually be bought for both one-way and round-trip travel. You may receive a monetary refund only if every available flight within your date range is full; if you opt not to take an available flight, you can only get credit toward future travel. Carefully read agreements with any company offering standby flights, as tricky fine print can leave you in the lurch. Be careful in Vietnam—scams are uncommon but do occur. To check a company’s service record, call the Better Business Bureau (US ☎703-276-0100).
Ticket consolidators, or “bucket shops,” buy unsold tickets in bulk from commercial airlines and sell them at discounted rates. The best place to look is in the Sunday travel section of any major newspaper (such as The New York Times), where many bucket shops place tiny ads. Call quickly, as availability is typically extremely limited. Not all bucket shops are reliable, so insist on a receipt that gives full details of restrictions, refunds, and tickets, and pay by credit card (in spite of the 2-5% fee) so you can stop payment if you never receive your tickets. For more info, see www.travel-library.com/air-travel/consolidators.html.
Fare.net (www.fare.net) is an Asia-specific site that compares airfares from many different airlines. Travel Avenue (☎800-333-3335; www.travelavenue.com) searches for the best available published fares and then uses several consolidators to attempt to beat that fare. NOW Voyager, 315 W. 49th St. Plaza Arcade, New York, NY 10019 (US ☎212-459-1616; www.nowvoyagertravel.com) arranges discounted flights, mostly from New York, to destinations in Europe—but you might have luck finding a Southeast Asian destination. Other consolidators worth trying are Rebel (US ☎800-732-3588; www.rebeltours.com) and Cheap Tickets (US ☎800-652-4327; www.cheaptickets.com). Yet more consolidators on the web include Flights.com (www.flights.com) and TravelHUB (www.travelhub.com). Keep in mind that these are just suggestions to get you started in your research; Let’s Go does not endorse any of these agencies. As always, be cautious, and research companies before you hand over your credit card number.
In London, the Air Travel Advisory Bureau (UK ☎020 7636 5000; www.atab.co.uk) provides names of reliable consolidators and discount flight specialists. In Australia and New Zealand, look for consolidator ads in the travel section of the Sydney Morning Herald and other major papers.
A limited number of travel agencies deal in unconventional arrangements of flights. Circle Pacific (www.airtimetable.com/circle_pacific_airfares.htm) and Circle of Asia (www.circleofasia.com) tickets provide one-way flights to, from, and around Southeast Asia, especially Thailand. These tickets are best for extended trips; most have flexible dates, and are valid up to one year from the commencement of travel. For more complicated itineraries, RTW and other unconventional tickets are often a better deal. Try Air Treks (US ☎877-350-0612 or 415-912-5600; www.airtreks.com) or Circle the Planet (US ☎800-799-8888; www.circletheplanet.com), and leave at least a month to book tickets.
Tour operators contract charter flights with airlines in order to fly extra loads of passengers during peak season. These flights are far from hassle-free. They occur less frequently than major airlines, make refunds particularly difficult, and are almost always fully booked. Their scheduled times may change and they may be cancelled at the last moment (as late as 48 hours before the trip, and without a full refund). And check-in, boarding, and baggage claim for them are often much slower. They can, however, be much cheaper.
Discount clubs and fare brokers offer members savings on last-minute charter and tour deals. Study contracts closely; you don’t want to end up with an unwanted overnight layover.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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