Oneway Fare: $358/€331 San Francisco to Vietnam with Japan Airlines (incl. Checked Bags)

Oneworld member Japan Airlines (JAL) offers an amazing oneway fare for flights from San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City, selling tickets for as little as €331 (~US$356) with a change of planes. in Tokyo. A checked bag of 23 kg is included in this fare.

Our availability calendar highlights all possible flight dates for less than €350 (~US$377). It will forward you to our flight search or Momondo with your selected flight dates.

On most days, you have the opportunity to choose between changing planes in Narita (which doesn’t leave enough time to leave the airport) or connecting in Haneda. The latter option gives you the chance to get a brief glimpse of Tokyo. JAL uses Boeing 787 aircraft to Narita and Boeing 777 aircraft to Tokyo. Both offer a 3-3-3 seating and a generous 84 cm seat pitch.

The six-hour flights to Vietnam are Boeing 787 services in JAL’s regional cabin layout, decreasing the seat pitch to 79 cm. You should make sure flights across the Pacific Ocean are operated by Japan Airlines. American Airlines also handles some of these routes, but their cabin product is vastly inferior.

Search & Book

The fare rules don’t offer a sales period for this deal. You can find these tickets for departures between September 2023 and January 2024.

Google Flights helps you find additional flight dates. We recommend purchasing your tickets directly from the airline, even though online travel agencies sell them up to €30 cheaper.

Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?

More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:

Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.

If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.

This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.

Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.

This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.

Mileage

JAL issues these tickets in booking class O. Oneworld frequent flyers can earn the following mileage:

Destination

Hotel prices in Ho Chi Minh City usually start at roughly €20, depending on the hotel category. Whichever category and hotel you opt for, make sure to get the best price! Our recommendation is to search on booking.com, or even on our own Travel-Dealz hotel search:

Information & Tips for Vietnam

Vietnam is a country in South Eastern Asia. Hanoi in the north of the country is the capital, while southern Ho-Chi-Minh-City (HCMC) is the most populous city. Vietnam is famous for its vast natural jungles, beautiful beaches and the famous Ha-Long-Bay, just outside of Hanoi. The country’s name has become a trope in pop-culture, mainly because of many American movies and TV series dealing with the USA’s military intervention in the country in the late 1960s.

Best Time to Travel

Best seasons for tourists visiting Vietnam are spring (February through April) and fall (August through October). At this time, precipitation is at a yearly low and temperatures are enjoyable. Because of the large north-south distance covered by the country, best travel times can be regionally different.

Visa & Immigration

Most EU-Citizens can get a visa-free entry for stays up to fifteen days. All they need is a passport valid for more than six months. After leaving Vietnam, you have to wait 30 days to apply for another visa-free entry. If you’re planning to stay longer than fifteen days, you need to apply for a regular visa.

Currency

Vietnam’s official curreny is the Vietnamese Dong. 1€ buys roughy 26,000 Dong. International credit cards are accepted in most major cities throughout the country. Getting cash via ATMs is no problem in major cities, as well. Please inform yourself about possible comission fees before travelling to Vietnam.

→ All Dealz for Vietnam