Vietnam Airlines Pet Travel Costs: The Complete 2026 Fee Schedule

Most pet owners preparing to fly have one common question: “How much is a plane ticket for my pet?” Many assume pet transportation fees work just like buying an extra checked bag. In reality, that is not how the system works.

Vietnam Airlines does not price pet travel based on human ticket prices. Instead, they use a strict geographic zone system, combined with the total weight (pet + travel crate) to determine the cost. Not understanding this fee structure can cost you hundreds of dollars just because your crate is a fraction of a kilogram over the limit.

Below is the latest 2026 breakdown of Vietnam Airlines pet transport costs (AVIH and PETC) to help you budget accurately for your relocation.

1. Understanding Vietnam Airlines’ Zone-Based Pricing

Contrary to popular belief, flight distance is not the only factor that determines the price. Vietnam Airlines calculates fees based on the farthest/most expensive zone in your entire itinerary.

If you have a connecting flight, for example from Vietnam (Zone A) to Germany (Zone C), you will pay the Zone C rate for the entire journey. Destinations are divided into 4 core zones:

• Zone A (Southeast Asia & Vicinity): Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau.
• Zone B (East Asia & South Asia): China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, India, and other Asian countries.
• Zone C (Europe, Africa & Middle East): France, Germany, UK, Italy, Denmark, and other European, African, and Middle Eastern countries.
• Zone D (Russia, Australia & the Americas): Russia, Australia, the USA and other countries in the Americas. (Note: Vietnam Airlines does not accept pets in the cabin or as checked baggage on Vietnam–Australia flights.)

2. Checked Baggage (AVIH) Pet Travel Costs

AVIH (Animal in Hold) is the most common method for flying with pets. Your pet will be placed in an airline-approved crate and travel in the cargo hold (which is temperature and pressure-controlled). AVIH costs are calculated based on the total combined weight of your pet AND the travel crate.

*Note: If the total weight (pet + crate) exceeds 32 kg, the pet must be registered to travel as Manifest Cargo.

*Note: The prices above do not include Value Added Tax (VAT) and apply only to flights operated directly by Vietnam Airlines.

3. In-Cabin Pet Travel Costs (PETC)

The PETC (Pet in Cabin) service allows you to bring small dogs and cats into the passenger cabin. However, the pricing for this service is an entirely different story. Instead of scaling by weight, PETC applies a relatively high flat fee.

To use this service, the total weight of your pet and their crate or soft carrier must not exceed 6 kg, and the carrier must measure no more than 35 × 30 × 20 cm.

As you can see, bringing a pet into the cabin on a domestic Vietnam flight will cost you 5,000,000 VND — five times more expensive than checking them in the hold (1,000,000 VND for checked baggage under 9kg).

4. How Vietnam Airlines Compares to Vietjet and Bamboo on Domestic Routes

If you’re only flying within Vietnam, the fee schedule above is just one part of the picture. The three domestic carriers price and structure their pet service very differently, and the biggest difference isn’t the price—it’s what kind of service is even available.

The line that matters most for planning: Vietnam Airlines is the only domestic carrier with a checked-baggage option and a published, fixed price for it. If your pet is over 7 kg including the crate, Vietnam Airlines’ AVIH service is effectively your only reliable domestic flight option—Vietjet doesn’t offer checked baggage on domestic routes at all, and Bamboo’s cargo-hold acceptance depends on which aircraft is assigned to that specific flight, with no set price to budget against in advance.

On pure cabin pricing and weight allowance, Bamboo is the most flexible of the three—lowest base fee, highest weight limit, and the only one that lets you buy a seat for an oversized crate. The tradeoff is flight frequency: Bamboo simply operates fewer domestic routes and schedules than Vietnam Airlines or Vietjet, so availability on your specific route and date should be checked before you plan around the lower price. As of October 2026, though, Bamboo runs very few domestic flights and its hotline is often unreachable, so it may no longer accept pets in practice even though its pet policy page is still online. Confirm directly with the airline before planning around it.

5. How Your Crate Could Cost You an Extra $100

A critical detail many owners overlook is that the total chargeable weight includes BOTH the animal AND the travel crate.

Let’s say your dog weighs 12kg. You buy a large, sturdy plastic crate that weighs 4.5kg. The total weight is now 16.5kg. Just because you are 0.5kg over the limit (16kg), your fee bracket immediately jumps from the second tier (> 9kg – 16kg) to the third tier (> 16kg – 32kg). If you are flying to Europe (Zone C), your cost increases from 400 USD to 500 USD (an extra 100 USD just because of 0.5kg of the crate).

This is why selecting an IATA-compliant travel crate that is the right size but weight-optimized is essential. You can refer to our guide on How to Measure Your Pet for an Airline Travel Crate to avoid buying the wrong crate and needlessly inflating your freight costs.

6. The Bottom Line: Airfare is Only Part of the Picture

The Vietnam Airlines fee schedule above only reflects Airline Freight costs. It does not include the expenses for preparing documents, obtaining Import Permits, veterinary health checks, or destination airport handling fees. For domestic trips, budget separately for the domestic animal health certificate as well—it’s a government fee, not an airline one.

For how to book a pet spot and prepare the documents for a flight within Vietnam, see our guide to domestic pet travel in Vietnam.