Hi all,
does anybody know how to get a cheap ticket from Vietnam to Taiwan ? My girlfriend ,who lives in Hanoi, would like to go to see me in August here in Taipei, but she told me that the plane tickets are incredibly expensive (for her VNese salary). She has tried to find tickets with layover in Thailand or China, but did not find anything. Somebody knows a good low-cost company or something like that ?
thanxx,
Alekk
Very difficult to get a cheaper fare going via a third destination, especially from Hanoi. Most of the low cost carriers go to Singapore or Bangkok and go from Saigon… VN people are very price savvy and if she hasn’t been able to get a decent price, there probably isn’t one.
Pacific Airlines will almost certainly be the cheapest and they do fly from Hanoi to Taipei. I flew a single Taipei to Saigon for US$10+$30 tax = US$40 last month. (The other way was a similar price, but I already had an EVA ticket.) That was exceptional. If she cannot get a decent fare then she can also look at Pacific via Saigon. Note that the connection is at her risk if the flight is late as the flights will be on separate tickets.
Note: it IS possible for her to buy the tickets starting in Hanoi using YOUR foreign credit card. Currently they do NOT require the cardholder to fly or present the card at check-in. I’m sure this will change one day… but for the time being I suppose they know that most VN people are reliant on friends for credit cards.
How nice to have a girlfriend in Hanoi! (But you’re French… so you have class…)
One more thing.
EVA run “secret” flights between Hanoi and Taipei. I call them secret because they don’t appear in their printed timetable or on their website. Sometimes travel agents know about them. Basically they introduced the route a few years back and then abandonned it. I think they don’t wish to publicise it until they are sure they are serious. The service is sporadic.
For example they have an MD90 (BR398) leaving HAN 1210 arriving TPE 1555 on 02AUG, but this is not a daily flight.
I suggest your girlfriend goes into their Hanoi office directly (2nd Floor, 17 Ngo Quyen) and asks them. They might even have some good fares. The last time I looked it was about US$300 all in…
If you fly to Paris and Vietnam regularly, you should consider buying an EVA Vietnam/Paris return in Vietnam. You can stopover in Taipei for as long as you like. (Ticket is 12 month flexible). Current price in SGN is US$1006+tax for deluxe class. Economy would probably be US$100 cheaper. (No deluxe class HAN/TPE anyway.) It is MUCH cheaper than sitting in Taiwan and buying the odd return to Europe and the odd return to Vietnam. (PM if interested… won’t write more now because it might not be relevent to you.)
Actually EVA in Paris sometimes do good offers on Vietnam via Taipei. There was an agent near Tolbiac Metro station a while back doing CDG/SGN for 750euro - but I have no idea whether this included tax and permitted unlimited stopover in Taipei.
thank you so much for your help. I will discuss about your advices with her, and if does not bother you too much, will PM you to ask further information.
Thanx again !
[quote=“alekk”]thank you so much for your help. I will discuss about your advices with her, and if does not bother you too much, will PM you to ask further information.
Thanx again ![/quote]
No problem. I found myself in the ridiculous position of having a girlfriend in Vietnam when I worked in Taiwan and then a girlfriend in Taiwan when I worked in Vietnam… so I’m pretty sympathetic!