Vietnam Airlines offers 2-minute self-service baggage drop-off at Hanoi airport’s international terminal

The service is available at islands A and B as well as counters A01 and A02.

Instead of taking their suitcases to a staffed counter, passengers can complete almost the entire check-in process themselves, including selecting seats, printing boarding passes, printing and attaching baggage tags, weighing luggage and placing it on the conveyor belt.

If passengers have valid travel documents, their luggage meets regulations and no special assistance is required, the entire process takes about two minutes.

The service could ease one of the most frustrating parts of air travel: waiting in line for staff to check in baggage.

Dang Anh Tuan, deputy general director of Vietnam Airlines, said the airline has introduced the service at Terminal T3 of Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Da Nang International Airport, Phu Bai International Airport in Hue City, Singapore Changi Airport in Singapore, Frankfurt Airport in Germany, and Fukuoka and Nagoya airports in Japan.

However, usage remains relatively low.

At Tan Son Nhat International Airport's domestic terminal in Ho Chi Minh City, passengers often have to wait in long lines to have their luggage checked in during peak periods.

Large and small suitcases, cardboard boxes, foam boxes and gift bags are piled onto luggage carts which line up in front of baggage drop counters.

Each wave of cars dropping passengers off outside the terminal brings more travelers and their luggage inside.

Many families rush to find check-in counters as soon as they get out of their cars. Adults hurry ahead while children trail behind.

Some passengers repeatedly check the time, anxiously watching lines that appear barely to move.

"There are about 45 minutes left before the counter closes, but the line is more than 20 meters long. I'm still worried," said Tien, a passenger flying to Da Nang City in central Vietnam.

Checking in is no longer difficult. A smartphone and a few taps are enough for passengers to obtain a boarding pass.

However, those with luggage to check in often still have to join the line at a staffed counter.

During holidays, especially the Lunar New Year, the bottleneck becomes even more pronounced.

Passengers carry not only clothes but also food, gifts, foam boxes and bulky luggage. When several families arrive with multiple pieces of luggage, queues can quickly stretch out.

However, some passengers can avoid the long waits by using new self-service technology available at airports.

My Lien, a local passenger, arrived at the airport with a suitcase weighing about 20kg for a flight to Da Nang.

Instead of joining the line at a staffed counter, she went to a Vietnam Airlines kiosk, entered her booking code, selected a seat, and printed her boarding pass and baggage tag.

She wrapped the tag around the suitcase handle as shown in the instructions and pressed down on the adhesive to secure it.

She then took her luggage to the self-service baggage drop point.

After placing the suitcase on the conveyor belt, the system automatically scanned the baggage tag and began weighing the luggage.

After a few more steps, the luggage was sent onto the conveyor system. She kept the baggage tag stub and left the check-in area.

At Tan Son Nhat International Airport's domestic terminal, Vietnam Airlines passengers who have checked in and printed their baggage tags at a kiosk can go to counters 104-109 to drop off their luggage themselves.

Vietjet has also introduced the service at Terminal T1 of Tan Son Nhat, although relatively few passengers use it.

The process is designed as a continuous flow, minimizing the need to move between different points.

Passengers can check in online from home or use a kiosk at the airport.

At the kiosk, passengers enter their booking code or scan their identification documents as instructed, check their information, select a seat and print their boarding pass.

The machine also prints a baggage tag. Passengers should attach the tag around the suitcase handle, ensuring that the barcode faces outward and is not folded or covered.

At the self-bag drop point, passengers place their suitcase on the conveyor belt, where the system automatically scans the baggage tag.

The system weighs the luggage, checks whether it meets the requirements for acceptance and sends it to the sorting area if everything is in order.

Passengers should keep the baggage tag stub in case they need to track their luggage or file a claim if it is lost.

"Passengers only need to have their booking code or QR code ready. The machine guides them through each step, and once they get used to the process, it is much faster the next time," a terminal support staff member said.

At Noi Bai, passengers can check in at kiosks from six hours to 60 minutes before departure. The self-service baggage drop service opens three hours before departure and closes 50 minutes before the flight.

A representative of VIAGS, a ground service provider, said the biggest obstacle is still passenger habits.

Many travelers with compact luggage that qualifies for self-service baggage drop still prefer to go to a staffed counter "just to be sure."

If these passengers switch to self-service lanes, traditional counters will have more capacity for elderly passengers, families with young children and travelers who need document checks or assistance with special baggage.