Another Passenger on Vietnam Airlines is Fined for Smoking Onboard

Another passenger, this time on a Vietnam Airlines (VNA) domestic flight from Hanoi (HAN) to Saigon (SGN), has been fined for smoking in the lavatory.  The incident occurred on May 1.

This passenger obviously doesn't read VNAFlyer.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) imposed a 4 million VND (~$183 USD) fine on Nguyen Canh Dinh, who claimed that he did not see the No Smoking signs, and only smoked a little bit.

The crew was alerted when the smoke detector in the lavatory was triggered.

The CAAV has the authority to levy fines up to 5 million VND, which is a minute amount compared to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fine of up to $5,000 USD, or over 100 million VND.

The CAAV also recently pledged to bring civil aviation standards in Vietnam up to a level acceptable to the FAA, which would open up the possibility of direct flights from Vietnam to the U.S.  Currently, Vietnamese carriers are not allowed into U.S. airspace, and U.S.-based carriers are not allowed to start direct service into Vietnam.