Vietnamese travelers across the Middle East and Europe are scrambling to return home as escalating tensions in the region disrupt air travel and force airlines to close or reroute major flight corridors.
From northern Iraq to European airports, Vietnamese tourists describe stressful journeys involving canceled flights, crowded border crossings, and rapidly rising ticket prices as the crisis unfolds.
For many, the situation has turned a normal holiday into a race against time.
Tour Group Forced to Evacuate Across Borders
One Vietnamese tour group found itself unexpectedly near the crisis zone while scouting a potential travel route in Erbil, northern Iraq.
According to tour operator Phi Thi Bich Ngoc, director of adventure travel company Nplus Adventure, the group suddenly learned that airspace closures caused by escalating Iran–Israel tensions had cancelled their flight home.
“We could occasionally hear distant explosions, but we didn’t know exactly where they were coming from,” she said.
The first step, she explained, was contacting the Vietnamese Embassy to report their location and confirm the group’s safety.
Authorities advised the group to leave Erbil, where U.S. military forces are present, and head toward safer areas closer to the Turkey–Iraq border.
Shortly after they departed, the area they had just left was reportedly hit by an attack.
A Risky Exit Plan
The group then executed what Ngoc described as an “exit scenario.”
They traveled to the city of Duhok, near the Turkish border, and quickly arranged:
Even with preparations, the escape was far from smooth.
Large numbers of foreigners and travelers were rushing toward the same border checkpoints, causing severe congestion.
“In situations like this, every decision must be fast and calm,” Ngoc said.
“If you hesitate even a little, you could get stuck at the border.”
The group eventually crossed into Turkey safely and is now in Istanbul.
Travelers Across Europe Also Facing Flight Chaos
Other Vietnamese tourists are encountering similar challenges across Europe.
Nguyen Duc Giang, traveling on a multi-country European tour, said his group had to completely redesign their travel plan after learning that Middle Eastern flight routes were being disrupted.
Because some members’ visas were close to expiring, the group split into two:
Meanwhile, ticket prices climbed rapidly.
“If you wait too long, prices can rise dramatically,” Giang said.
Family Spends Three Days Searching for a Flight
In another case shared on social media, a Vietnamese family spent three days trying to find a new flight home for an elderly passenger after her journey from Finland to Vietnam was abruptly canceled.
The original flight—operated by Qatar Airways with a segment flown by Finnair—was canceled when Qatar’s airspace closed.
Airlines initially proposed a complicated rerouting through Tokyo, requiring a transfer between two different airports. Because the passenger was elderly and traveling alone, the family declined.
After repeated calls to airline hotlines, the family eventually contacted Finnair directly.
Within about an hour, the airline confirmed a replacement flight routing through Seoul, allowing the traveler to return to Vietnam safely without additional fees.
Tour Companies Activate Crisis Operations
Vietnamese travel companies have also moved into emergency mode.
According to Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh, communications director at Vietravel, several tour groups were traveling in Dubai and Egypt when the conflict escalated.
By March 4, all customers had been safely returned to Vietnam through coordinated efforts with airline partners.
“When geopolitical instability disrupts flights, information changes very quickly,” Khanh said.
Tour operators must monitor airspace updates constantly while arranging safe accommodation, coordinating with families, and securing new flight routes.
Airfares Between Vietnam and Europe Spike
The regional conflict has also shaken global airline markets.
Within days:
Some one-way tickets between Vietnam and major European cities such as Paris and Frankfurt now cost 30–35 million VND ($1,200–$1,400) or more.
Flights in the opposite direction—from Europe to Vietnam—have also jumped 20–45% in price.
When cheaper fare classes sell out, remaining tickets automatically shift to higher fare categories, pushing some one-way flights to 60–130 million VND ($2,400–$5,200).
Longer Routes Mean Higher Costs
According to Vietnam Airlines, rerouting flights around restricted airspace adds 60–90 minutes to each journey.
That detour burns 6–9 additional tons of fuel per flight, increasing costs and reducing the number of available seats.
With the Middle East serving as one of the world’s most important aviation corridors between Asia and Europe, disruptions in the region ripple across the entire global travel network.
For travelers currently abroad, the lesson is clear: when geopolitical crises hit, timing can mean the difference between getting home smoothly—or getting stuck halfway around the world.
Related
Discover more from Vietnam Insider
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Source: Vietnam Insider