Vietnam Airlines is the national flag carrier of Vietnam and a member of SkyTeam. The Hanoi-based airline flies to 64 destinations in 17 countries around the world. However, they currently do not fly to the United States, but they are planning on opening 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 and their embers from the United States can rack up on miles by flying LotusMiles and any of its airlines partners, and by booking your hotel stay or car rental with any non-airline partner. The miles that you earn can be used towards award flights, upgrades, excess baggage and lounge access. Continue reading to learn more about LotusMiles.
LotusMiles Quick Facts
| Hubs | Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City |
| Alliance | SkyTeam |
| Redemption Options | Flights, upgrades, excess baggage, lounge access |
| U.S. Destinations | None |
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 |
Status benefits include:
| 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 |
Earning LotusMiles
Comparing LotusMiles to other frequent flyer programs based in the United States, earning these miles isn’t easy for Americans. Here are all the ways you can rack up on Vietnam Airlines miles:
Earn LotusMiles Tier and Award Miles when you fly with Garuda Indonesia and all SkyTeam airlines:
- Aeroflot
- Aerolineas Argentinas
- Aeromexico
- Air Europa
- Air France
- Alitalia
- China Airlines
- China Eastern
- Czech Airlines
- Delta
- Kenya Airways
- KLM
- Korean Air
- MEA
- Saudia
- TAROM
- Vietnam Airlines
- Xiamen Air
You can also earn miles with non-SkyTeam partner airlines, including ANA and Etihad Airways.
The amount of miles you’ll get for your flight depends on which airline you’re flying as well as the ticket fare class.
Earn LotusMiles when you:
- Book your stay at Trip.com, Swiss-Belhotel, Melia, AYANA and more.
- Book your vacation with Garuda Indonesia Holidays.
- Shop onboard a Garuda Indonesia flight, or at Grand Indonesia, Pacific Place and RebateMango.
If you find yourself short on miles for an award, you can purchase 1,000 miles for $30. LotusMiles allows a maximum purchase of 100,000 miles per calendar year.
Redeeming LotusMiles
Most 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.
- To upgrade purchased tickets to a higher class.
- To pay for excess baggage.
- To 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 three 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 |
 |
 |
Bottom Line
Vietnam Airlines LotusMiles is not that valuable for the average American, compare to other Asian frequent flyer programs. The only way for the U.S. LotusMiles members to earn significant rewards is to fly Vietnam Airlines or any of their partner airlines.
It is important to note that there are not many ways to earn LotusMiles. For better earning potential, consider Flying Blue. For more posts like this, check out our list of credit card bonuses.
