Vietnam Airlines is the national flag carrier of Vietnam and a member of SkyTeam. The Hanoi-based airline will fly to 64 destinations in 17 countries around the world. Although Vietnam Airlnines does not currently operate flights to the United States, it will open direct flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Seattle, and Dallas-Fort Worth in the near future.
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LotusMiles is the Vietnam Airlines frequent flyer program. Members from the United States can rack up on miles by flying LotusMiles and any of its airline partners. You can earn miles by booking your hotel stay or car rental with a non-airline partner as well. LotusMiles can be redeemed for award flights, upgrades, excess baggage, and lounge access.
Read below for more information on the best ways to earn and burn LotusMiles.
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LotusMiles Quick Facts
| Airline Alliance | SkyTeam |
| Hubs | Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City |
| U.S. Destinations | None |
| U.S. Credit Cards | None |
| Transfer Partners | None |
| Redemption Options | Flights, upgrades, excess baggage, lounge access |
LotusMiles Elite Status
When you join LotusMiles, you automatically become a Member. Above that are four status tiers: Silver, Titanium, Gold, and Platinum. To move up a tier, you need to fly a certain amount of qualifying miles or a certain number of qualifying flights within the previous 12 months.
| Status | SkyTeam Status | Miles | Flights |
| Silver | – | 1 | 1 |
| Titanium | Elite | 15,000 | 20 |
| Gold | Elite | 30,000 | 30 |
| Platinum | Elite Plus | 50,000 | 50 |
Once you unlock a tier, you have that status for the next 12 months, and you’ll enjoy the following benefits with Vietnam Airlines:
| Silver | Titanium | Gold | Platinum | |
| Tier bonus miles | – | 30% | 50% | 100% |
| Birthday bonus miles | – | 1,000 | 1,500 | 2,000 |
| Priority waitlist | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Priority check-in | – | Yes | Yes + guests |
Yes + guests |
| Priority upgrades to Business Class | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Preferred seat at check-in | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Priority baggage | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extra baggage allowance | – | 1 piece (23kg) |
1 piece (23kg) |
2 pieces (23/kg each) |
| Priority lines at security | – | – | – | Yes |
| Business Class lounge access | – | – | Yes | Yes + 1 |
| Priority boarding | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Priority service at transfer desks | – | – | – | Yes |
| Priority lines at immigration | – | – | – | Yes |
As well as the following SkyTeam benefits:
| Silver | Titanium | Gold | Platinum | |
| Priority waitlist & standby | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SkyPriority check-in | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Preferred seat at check-in | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SkyPriority baggage tags | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extra baggage allowance | – | 1 piece (10kg) |
1 piece (10kg) |
1 piece (20kg) |
| Priority line at security | – | – | – | Yes |
| Business Class or reserved lounged access | – | – | – | Yes |
| Priority boarding | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Priority line at immigration | – | – | – | Yes |
Go to the LotusMiles member benefits page for more details.
Earning LotusMiles
Compared to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Delta SkyMiles, and other frequent flyer programs based in the United States, earning LotusMiles is not an easy feat for Americans. Here are all the ways you can build up on Vietnam Airlines miles:
Flights
Unfortunately, LotusMiles doesn’t have any U.S. loyalty program transfer partners, nor does it have any U.S. co-branded credit card. As such, the easiest way for Americans to earn LotusMiles is to fly with Vietname Airlines and the following airline partners:
- Aeroflot
- Aerolineas Argentinas
- Aeromexico
- Air France
- Air Europa
- Alitalia
- ANA
- China Airlines
- China Eastern
- China Southern
- Czech Airlines
- Delta
- Korean Air
- Kenya Airways
- MEA
- Garuda Indonesia
- KLM
- SAUDIA
- TAROM
- Xiamen Air
Accural rate depends on distance flown, as well as fare class and elite status. Use the Mileage Accrual Charts to determine exactly how many LotusMiles you’ll earn on your next trip.
Other Ways
Members can also earn LotusMiles the following ways:
- Booking accommodations via Booking.com or Kaligo.com
- Renting a car via Rentalcars.com
LotusMiles provides even more ways to earn rewards, but they’re not as relevant to U.S. residents.
Redeeming LotusMiles
Most LotusMiles members use their miles for award flights with Vietnam Airlines and partner airlines. The program utilizes a zone-based, seasonal chart for both Vietnam Airlines and partner airline awards. Have a look at LotusMiles award charts in detail here.
You can also redeem your Vietnam Airlines miles:
- To pay for award flights in cash and miles
- Upgrade purchased tickets to a higher class
- To pay for excess baggage
- Pay for business lounge access
There are other ways to use LotusMiles, but they’re not very relevant to U.S. residents.
LotusMiles Expiration
LotusMiles expire after 3 years from the month they were credited to your account. Use your miles before then or else you lose them for good.
LotusMiles Tips & Tricks
Keep in mind:
- LotusMiles has fuel surcharges on most award flights
- Award tickets cost twice as much during peak times
- You can’t book partner awards online
Round the world award. This feature is offered by SkyTeam, allowing LotusMiles members to travel around the world on flights with SkyTeam airlines in economy (200,000 miles), business (300,000) or first (380,000) class. To qualify, the flight must:
- Be a continuous course from East to West or West to East.
- Include a flight over the Pacific Ocean and a flight over the Atlantic Ocean.
- Have a maximum of 6 stopovers with no more than 3 stopovers on the same continent. An open jaw is considered a stopover.
Sweet spots. Below are great ways to redeem your LotusMiles.
| Itinerary | Class | Miles |
| Continental U.S. to Hawaii (roundtrip)* | Economy | 30,000 |
| Continental U.S. to Hawaii (roundtrip)* | Business | 60,000 |
| North America to Europe (roundtrip) | Economy | 50,000 |
| North America to South America (roundtrip) | Economy | 50,000 |
*There are no fuel surcharges on flights in the Americas.
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Conclusion
Vietnam Airlines LotusMiles is far from valuable for the average American, compared to other Asia-based frequent flyer programs. The only way for U.S. LotusMiles members to earn significant rewards is to fly Vietnam Airline and its partner airlines, whereas ANA Mileage Club and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer come with loyalty program transfer partners to easily boost your account balance.
