Many international airlines are speeding up to enter Vietnam, how are service standards being raised?

Many international airlines are massively increasing frequencies, opening new routes and improving service quality towards the Vietnamese market.

Instead of competing only on frequency, international airlines are shifting to competing on quality - Photo: QUANG DINH

Wave of international airlines entering Vietnam

Speaking with Tuoi Tre Online , many aviation service businesses and international airlines continue to increase frequency and open new routes in October and November 2025. Foreign airlines improve product quality towards the Vietnamese market.

This is both an opportunity for cooperation and a pressure forcing domestic airlines to improve service standards, optimize operations and expand flight networks if they want to maintain market share in an increasingly competitive environment.

For example, in the aviation services sector, two large enterprises, Saigon Ground Services Joint Stock Company (SAGS) and Tan Son Nhat Cargo Services Joint Stock Company (TCS), own big customers such as United Airlines and Turkish Airlines.

SAGS is currently in charge of ground services for many international airlines, from check-in procedures, bus transportation to baggage handling and operational support. Meanwhile, TCS was selected by Turkish Airlines as a partner to provide all cargo services in Vietnam.

United Airlines (USA) has recently officially resumed flights from Ho Chi Minh City to the US - Photo: SAGS

From October 2025, TCS will take over the entire cargo handling process of Turkish Airlines using an internationally standardized automation system, helping to improve operational efficiency and reduce storage time.

Regarding international airlines, Ms. Kyoung Hee Kang, Country Director of Korean Air in Vietnam, said that the airline is considering opening more regular routes to Quy Nhon, Hue or Da Lat. These are destinations where charter flights are operating effectively. The airline said that opening new routes will be carefully evaluated based on actual demand and airport infrastructure capacity.

Korean Air is currently the airline with the most destinations in Vietnam in the Southeast Asia region, including Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi , Da Nang, Cam Ranh and Phu Quoc. In the first half of this year, Korean Air transported nearly 375,000 passengers between the two countries, an increase of 4% over the same period; seat load factor reached over 90%, among the highest in the region.

Other major airlines such as Emirates and United Airlines are also accelerating their expansion. Emirates has included Da Nang in its key market group by launching the Dubai - Da Nang route, one of four new routes of the airline.

With a network of 153 airports in 81 countries, the expansion to Da Nang helps Emirates gain deeper access to the Vietnamese market. United Airlines also marked an important expansion step when operating daily flights from Ho Chi Minh City to the US via Hong Kong from October 26, becoming the only US airline flying from Ho Chi Minh City.

The 257-seat Boeing 787-9 flight allows passengers to easily connect to Los Angeles, San Francisco and 75 other destinations in the US. United Airlines said it will operate flights to 32 Pacific cities by the end of 2025, four times more than any other US carrier.

International flight passengers at Tan Son Nhat Terminal T2 - Photo: QUANG DINH

International airlines raise service standards

Notably, aviation businesses said that instead of competing only on frequency, international airlines are shifting to competing on quality, focusing on the high-value customer group that is growing rapidly in Vietnam.

For example, Singapore Airlines offers a 20% cashback when paying with VPBank cards and integrates a food and beverage car rental service; while Qatar Airways flexibly upgrades tickets close to flight time, supports payments via relatives in Vietnam and enhances special support services.

The frequent flyer programs of Singapore Airlines and Korean Air with transparent mile upgrade mechanisms also help retain Vietnamese customers. The strong presence of international airlines shows that Vietnam has become an important link in the global aviation network, no longer just a stopover.

Speaking with Tuoi Tre Online , a representative of an aviation company said the trend of international airlines continuously improving service quality forces domestic companies to step up innovation to meet the increasingly high expectations of customers.

"Major airlines like Emirates, Korean Air or Singapore Airlines are all creating new service levels, from seats, meals, entertainment to ground support processes. If domestic businesses do not improve quality, it will be difficult for us to retain customers in the context of expanding competition," he commented.

To keep up, Vietnamese businesses need to invest synchronously in aircraft fleets, operating technology, ground services and human resources, instead of focusing only on ticket prices or flight frequencies.

TRUST

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nhieu-hang-bay-quoc-te-tang-toc-vao-viet-nam-chuan-dich-vu-duoc-nang-len-ra-sao-2025111416584785.htm