Special Services

Vietnam Airlines offers a wide selection of special meals to suit different dietary styles. All special meals must be booked at least 24 hours in advance of your flight.

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Order Special Meals

• Vietnam Airlines is unable to supply special meals on some routes where there is not adequate time to prepare them. Special meals are not available on flights without in-flight dining services. Please contact your booking agent for more details.
• Special meals should be pre-ordered and confirmed 24 hours prior to departure. Some special meals such as the Kosher meals are only available on select flights and must be requested 72 hours prior to departure.
• If passengers change their route or flight schedule, please make sure that your special meal has been re-ordered and confirmed in accordance with your new itinerary.

(*) Images are for illustrative purpose only

Infants under 2 years of age

Vietnam Airlines offers the below services for the very young passengers.

When traveling with an infant, passengers may carry a baby stroller with their infant. Passengers should check-in their baby stroller, or they may use it up to the boarding gate. However, some airports may deny carrying strollers inside the boarding areas. Please ask the airport personnel if this is possible at the time of check-in.

Space on board is limited, so checking-in your stroller is strongly encouraged. Strollers, as checked baggage, will be returned as quickly as possible upon arrival. 

• Bassinet service

Vietnam Airlines offers a bassinet service free of charge. This service is available on board for infants up to 2 years of age if the weight of the infant does not exceed 11 kgs. Requests must be made at least 24 hours before departure. Please note that bassinets are available in limited quantity, and bassinets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

• Special meals

Baby meals are free of charge. Baby meals must be requested at least 24 hours before departure. Please note that the availability of baby meal service depends on routing and each airport's catering. Please see more details in Special Meals.

Passengers from 2 years to under 12 years of age traveling alone are required to register Unaccompanied Minor service.

• Portable in-flight bed for children

Travel gadgets that convert into leg rests or in-flight beds for children - Portable In-flight Bed (PIB) may be used on-board as long as our instructions for accepted use are followed. For more details about PIB, please click here.

• Special meals

Child meals must be made at least 24 hours before departure. Please note that children's meal service availability depends on routing and each airport catering. See more details in Special Meals.

Before flight

The service request of unaccompanied minor and accompanying cabin crew can be submitted as follows:

• Request at Vietnam Airlines Branch Offices; 
• Download forms below and send a request to the email address of the nearest ticketing office;
1. Handling Advice for Unaccompanied Minor
2. Consent form for unaccompanied Minor
• Or order service by filling in the online form 

Register Unaccompanied Minor

Parents or guardians must provide information such as the minor‘s full name, date of birth, age, gender, routing, flight date, parent or guardian’ name, address, phone number; the name of the person meeting the minor at the destination point, etc.

Parents or guardians must carefully review and prepare adequate documents for concerned regulations of all countries, airports, and airlines involved in the minor’s itinerary.

At departure station 

• The accompanying adult and the minor must be present at the departure station at least 2 hours before departure. Passengers are required to bring along all documents when on-board any and all flights with unaccompanied minor service requested. 
• The person accompanying the minor to the airport must show all necessary identification documents to certify the information as written in the “Handling Advice for Unaccompanied Minor”.
• The person seeing off the minor at the departure station must complete all procedures for the minor before departure and wait until the plane takes off. 

At destination station

• The person meeting the minor on arrival must be present at the destination station at least 30 minutes before arrival.
• The person meeting the minor at the arrival station must show all necessary identification documents to certify the information as written in the “Handling Advice for Unaccompanied Minor”.

Mobility Aid Services 

Vietnam Airlines always provides disabled passengers with our warmest assistance. 

Vietnam Airlines offers the following Mobility Aid services:

• Blind Passenger Service – free of charge;
• Deaf Passenger Service – free of charge;
• Wheelchair Service – free of charge;
• Service dog accompanying disabled passengers – free of charge;
• Disabled passenger’s wheelchair – free of charge;
• Accompanying cabin crew service – fee applied; (except on flights to/from the US).

Please inform our branch offices of any needed special assistance while traveling with us. 

Important Note: Vietnam Airlines accepts carriage for accompanied/unaccompanied blind, deaf or with walking problems if he/she is otherwise healthy and does not require medical clearance. Passengers requiring medical clearance, please see details here. We advise passengers traveling on Vietnam domestic routes to download useful information to passengers requiring wheelchair service here.

Where and How to request 

After making reservations and finalizing ticketing procedures at our offices or via our online booking services, please advise us of your physical condition in advance for better assistance at the airport and in the cabin. Special service requests can be made as follows:

• Request at Vietnam Airlines offices  
• Request to Vietnam Airlines offices via email. Your request via email should have relevant information such as passenger‘s full name, booking, ticket, services needed and other special request.
• Call our Contact Center at 19001100 (for calls within Vietnam) or +84 24 8320320 (for international calls)
• Register online with the forms below:

Traveling with an escort

Passengers with physical challenges are highly recommended to travel with an escort. Passengers should let us know in case of traveling alone or traveling with your companion at the time of reservation.

The escort accompanying a passenger with physical challenges must be 18 years of age or older, able- bodied, not accompanied by an infant/a child and not requiring any special services (with exception for special meals).

On flights to/from the US, we may require passengers to travel with a safety assistant if

(1) Traveling in a stretcher or incubator; 

(2) Due to mental disability, passengers are unable to comprehend or respond appropriately to safety instructions from carrier personnel; 

(3) Passengers with severe mobility impairment cannot physically assist in their own evacuation from the aircraft; or 

(4) Passengers with both severe hearing and vision impairment cannot communicate with our personnel and cannot assist in their own evacuation from the aircraft in case of emergency (in case of wishing to travel alone, passengers must provide us with explanation at least 48 hours prior to departure about how safely passengers travel).  

In cases (2), (3) and (4), if we determine passengers must travel with a safety assistant, we will not charge for the safety assistant.  

Traveling with a service dog

If passengers are traveling with a service dog, emotional support dog or psychiatric service dog, animal as checked baggage procedure must be completed, except on flights to/from the US when the dog is transported in the cabin.

Traveling with supportive devices

Walking aids such as canes and crutches can be carried on-board. These need to be small enough to fit in the priority stowage area (on flights to/from the US) or be stowed under your seat or in the overhead compartment, and must not to protrude into any other seating, floor space, or the main aisle.

Traveling with your wheelchair

The wheelchair that you are using is accepted without fee. Please provide us with the following information upon reservation.

• Manual type Wheelchair
1. Collapsible or not;
2. Size (height, width and depth);
3. Weight;
4. Gas spring type or not (for international flight).
• Battery-operated electric type
1. Types of battery;
2. Collapsible or not;
3. Size (height, width and depth);
4. Weight;
5. Gas spring type or not (for international flight).

U.S Department of Transportation (DOT) reference

For passengers on flights to/from the U.S. a copy of DOT’s regulations can be obtained through any of the following means:

• DOT’s toll-free hotline for air travelers with disabilities, 1-800-778-4838 (voice) and 1-800-455-9880 (TTY);
• By mailing Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, W96-42, Washington, DC 20590;
• On the Aviation Consumer Protection Division’s website.

Check-in time

Passengers are advised to come to the airport early with sufficient time to check-in with priority boarding service and have your wheelchairs and/or supportive devices well-packaged and checked.

At least 1 hour prior to departure for domestic routes.

At least 2 hours prior to departure for international routes.

We offer a special check in counter “Special Service Counter” at some airports.

Priority boarding service

Vietnam Airlines offers priority boarding for passengers with physical challenges. Please contact our staff near the gate for this service.

Important information

While our cabin crew shall do everything possible to provide assistance to passengers during the flight, please note, however, that we are unable to provide passengers with any assistance for personal care needs such as feeding, elimination functions including assistance in side the lavatory, or other personal care needs. Additionally, cabin crew are trained only in first aid and are not permitted to administer any injection or medication. 

Special meals

If you have a meal preference, please request the Special Meal when making the reservation.

Upon Airport Arrival

Vietnam Airlines offers a wheelchair at the arrival airport. Our airport staff or your escort will help to physically carry you down the stairs upon, boarding and deplaning the aircraft.

• Request must be made at least 24 hours before departure time.
• There is no limitation on the number of extra seats offered on each flight.
• Extra seat is required to be booked on the same flight, same date, and the same class of service.

• See here for the costs of special service requests.
• For ordering this service or getting more information, please contact our Vietnam Airlines' branch offices or fill-in the online form.

Before flight

• Reservation

Before the flight, passengers requiring medical clearance are required to make reservation in advance at Vietnam Airlines‘ branch offices or by filling-in the online form.

For more details about passengers requiring medical clearance, please click here. These requirements are not applied to flights to/from the U.S.

• Documents

Passengers need to provide the documents below before traveling with Vietnam Airlines:

• MEDIF I: Medical Clearance Form - part I should be filled in.

• MEDIF II: Medical Information Form - part II, Guidance to the physicians should be brought to medical centers for health status certification. 

• Document completion time

Passengers must complete required documents within 14 days before the departure of each sector.

In some cases, passengers must complete required documents within 7 days before the departure of each sector:

• In case of requiring a stretcher and/or oxygen.
• In case of requiring Medical devices.

Only the documents issued by the medical centers are accepted by Vietnam Airlines. Please click here for more information.


The escort of special service passengers

The escort of special service passengers must adhere to the following conditions:

• Travel on the same flight number, date, sector and class of service with passengers.

• The escort must be 18 years of age or older (from the date of departure).
• Have civil act capacity; not categorized as not having civil act capacity, restricted civil act capacity as stipulated in the Civil Code of Vietnam.
• Be able-bodied.
• Be able to take care of the special passenger during the flight (professional qualification as a physician or a nurse is preferred).
• Not requesting special service (except if passenger requires SPML).

(*) Important information: Special service passengers requiring medical clearance are not required to travel with an escort when:

• Not being in serious status, being able to comfort themselves with their illness, being certified to travel by themselves by medical centers.
• Being able to move, feed, and care for themselves during the flight.

Reservation

Subject to availability, oxygen for medical purposes (up to a maximum flow rate of 4L/min) may be available on Vietnam Airlines' flights. In order to determine if in-flight medical oxygen will be available for your flight, please contact our branch office in advance or fill in the online form below at least 72 hours before the scheduled departure time of your flight. Requests for oxygen made within 72 hours before the scheduled departure may not be processed in time.

Documents required

Passengers requiring oxygen for medical purposes have to complete MEDIF I, MEDIF II, and bring them on their flights.

Your physician should specify the liters-per-minute flow rate required in the forms above.

Escort

Passengers must travel with an escort who is capable of helping the passengers with their medical needs and assisting them to the exit in the event of an emergency evacuation. The escort must have professional medical qualifications.

Charges 

Passengers requiring oxygen service will be charged. See details here.

Please contact our branch office directly to obtain specific pricing information for your flight. Please note that this charge shall not include the costs of ambulance, hospitalization, expenses of travelling attendant(s) or other expenses (if any).

At the airport

Passengers are required to be presented at the airport early enough to complete all procedures before flight. Vietnam Airlines recommends passengers arrive at least two hours prior to their scheduled departure time. See more details in check in timing.

Important information

For safety reasons, oxygen cylinders may not be carried by passengers or used on board.

Please contact our reservations office for additional information.

Reservation

In order to determine whether a stretcher will be available for your flight and arranged for medical clearance, please contact our branch office or fill-in the online form below at least 72 hours in advance of the scheduled departure time. Requests for stretchers made within 72 hours before the scheduled departure time may not be processed in time.

For flights to/from the U.S, passengers are required to make a 48 hour notice prior to the scheduled departure time.

Documents required

Passengers traveling on a stretcher have to complete MEDIF I, MEDIF II.

Charges 

Passengers traveling on a stretcher will be charged an additional fee to cover the additional costs associated with this service here.

Please contact our branch office directly to obtain specific pricing information for your flight. Please note that this charge shall not include the costs of ambulance, hospitalization, expenses of traveling attendant(s), or other ground expenses (if any).

At the airport

Passengers are required to arrive at the airport early enough to complete all pre-flight procedures before their flight. Vietnam Airlines recommends that passengers arrive at least two hours prior to your scheduled departure time. See more details in check-in timing.

Important information

Passengers traveling on a stretcher must bring MEDIF I, MEDIF II on their flight(s).