Vietnam Airlines flight to Hanoi from S'pore delayed for 14 hours, over 100 passengers stranded with no explanation

A Vietnam Airlines flight bound for Hanoi from Singapore was delayed for 14 hours on Oct. 10, leaving more than 100 passengers stuck in Changi Airport.

A Mothership reader surnamed Gui said that his wife and her female cousins were among the stranded passengers.

The passengers, which according to Shin Min Daily News numbered at over a hundred, received little to no updates and minimal service recovery.

Flight VN660 was originally scheduled to depart at 1:05 pm.

It eventually took off the next day on Oct. 11 at 3am.

Repeated delays, passengers not given proper updates

According to Gui, his wife said that based on announcements from the airline and what staff personally told her when she went up to ask, the flight's departure time was pushed back nine times — first to 1:40pm, then 2:10 pm, 4pm, 6pm, 9pm, 11:55 pm, 1am, 2am, 2:30am and 3am.

All this, with little explanation from the airline as to the cause of the delay.

A flight meal was distributed to passengers at the boarding gate after the first delay.

Gui added that this was the "only form of service recovery" offered throughout the delay.

According to him, no further updates were provided following the initial delay, and no Vietnam Airlines representative was present to offer explanations.

Ground handling staff at the airport apparently said they had "no authority" to provide details or authorise refunds.

At around 9:30pm, airline staff informed passengers that the flight would board at 1am on Oct. 11.

According to Gui, some families had chosen to "abandon" the flight, leaving their luggage behind, as their young children were "frightened" and "exhausted".

Passengers were then told to wait at another boarding gate, and that the flight would depart at 1am.

Many passengers had apparently asked for the flight to be cancelled and to receive refunds.

A Vietnam Airlines manager at the gate reportedly denied the requests, saying that engineers were still "fixing the issue" and that the flight would proceed.

Meanwhile, the aircraft was not in sight despite it being 1am.

Passengers also purportedly requested to speak to the pilot or engineers for reassurance on the aircraft's airworthiness, but these requests were not acceded to.

They were also repeatedly told that the "pilot is doing final checks" or the "plane is on the way".

Confusion over luggage collection, passengers offered S$20 compensation

At around 2:15am, Gui's wife and her cousins, along with some passengers, chose not to board the flight due to concerns about the aircraft's airworthiness.

Those who opted not to continue the journey faced further difficulties retrieving their checked baggage.

According to Gui, SATS ground staff had told them to wait for the aircraft to arrive before offloading could begin.

There was further confusion when passengers were informed that their luggage had been moved to the Lost and Found area, but the staff member with key access would only arrive at 4:30 am.

Gui's wife and her group were eventually only able to collect their luggage at 5:44 am.

Gui added that passengers were reportedly offered a S$20 compensation voucher for food, but only if they chose to board the rescheduled flight.

Calls to the Vietnam Airlines call centre were "unhelpful", with customer service staff stating that "only the station manager could make decisions".

Plane took off the next day

According to Google, the plane finally departed Changi Airport at 2:54am on Oct. 11.

Gui said that passengers were "no longer confident" in the airworthiness of the aircraft, "especially since the root issue was never communicated".

Those with connecting flights, who were Vietnamese however, had to take the rescheduled flight.

According to him, they were concerned that the airline was "refusing to cancel the flight to avoid compensation or insurance claims".

"This was not just a case of delay — it was a complete failure of communication, passenger care, and responsibility," he added.

Mothership has reached out to Vietnam Airlines for comment.

Top photos by Gui