Passengers are complaining of luggage theft by staff at Vietnam airports, raising concerns about airport safety and the reputation of Vietnamese employees.

 No video surveillance in baggage holding areas

Le Nhat Linh, a resident in HCM City, was told the airline lost her bags after a flight from France last year. But when Linh's bags were located, she found most of the items inside them were gone. No reasonable explanation was given.

Another resident of HCM City, Nguyen Vu Nam, said he was in the same situation twice. Someone opened his bags and removed many items, including clothing. Nam has resorted to using duct tape to seal his bags when travelling.

"This is just unacceptable," Nam said. "The carriers and airport must deal with this problem of their employees."

Several foreign visitors have been victims of theft, but their complaints have been largely ignored because claims for lost or stolen baggage are long and complicated.

Pham Chi Cuong, head of the Department of Safety, Quality and Security at Vietnam Airlines, said, "This is a serious problem that badly affects the reputation of all airlines. Even though protocols are tight at the storage area, there may be some holes in security."

Cuong said agencies and airlines should work together to deal with the problem, with closer monitoring of baggage between unloading from an aircraft to delivery to baggage carousels.

"We always advise passengers not to put valuable items in their bags," he said, conceding that several staff had recently been caught stealing from bags.

"All processes must be closely monitored and employees' awareness must be raised," Cuong said.