Travel guides10 min read
In fact, the reason the law requires cabin crew on board has nothing to do with meals or drinks. A passenger aircraft has to demonstrate that everyone on board can get out within 90 seconds, even with half the exits unusable. The people who do that are the cabin crew.
Everything else — the drinks, the smile, the uniform — is what the airline adds. The rest is what is required.
What cabin crew are actually certified for
The half passengers see is not the half that decides whether you may fly
The law sets a minimum number of crew per seat — for evacuation, not for service.
Entry requirements, from the 2026 recruitment round
Taking Vietnam Airlines' 2026 cabin crew recruitment as the reference:
| Criterion | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Age | 18 to 30, by year of birth |
| Height, women | 1.60 m – 1.75 m |
| Height, men | 1.70 m – 1.82 m |
| Education | Upper secondary or above; vocational, college or university preferred |
| English | TOEIC 550 or above, certificate still valid |
| Medical | Must meet the cabin crew medical standard |
Why is there a height limit at both ends? This is not a cosmetic standard. The lower limit is about reaching overhead bins and operating emergency equipment stowed high. The upper limit is about cabin ceiling height, aisle width and the crew seat positions. Both come from having to work effectively in a space of fixed dimensions.
One detail in the 2026 notice is worth knowing: candidates without an English certificate may still apply and complete it within a maximum of three months of being notified of selection. If English is the only thing missing, it is not necessarily a reason to skip the round.
What the selection process involves
- Online application — screened on the hard criteria: age, height, education.
- Appearance screening and height measurement — the basic criteria checked in person.
- English assessment — usually including a spoken component.
- Interview — assessing how you handle situations and work in a team.
- Medical examination — to the industry standard.
- The training course — and this is the real elimination round.
That last stage surprises many people: being selected is not the same as having the job. You still have to pass the safety training course. Without passing, no certificate is issued — and without the certificate you cannot operate on board.
What the training actually teaches
The service component takes far less of the course than most people imagine. Most of it is the situations you hope never to see:
- Emergency evacuation — operating exits, deploying slides, directing a flow of people through smoke and noise, inside a set time.
- Firefighting — a fire in an enclosed cabin at cruising altitude is among the most dangerous situations there is. Crew train on extinguishers, protective breathing equipment and lithium battery procedures.
- Decompression — recognising it, fitting your own mask first, then helping passengers.
- Ditching — life vests, rafts, organising people once they are in them.
- First aid — CPR, using an AED, choking, childbirth, anaphylaxis. On an aircraft there is nobody else to call.
- Security and disruptive passengers — recognising, intervening, restraining where necessary.
And all of it is re-tested periodically for your whole career. That is what makes this closer to a technical profession than a service one: you do not learn it once. Failing a recurrent check means being taken off flying until you pass.
How promotion works
| Position | Role |
|---|---|
| Cabin crew | Responsible for a section of cabin and an exit |
| Senior cabin crew | Responsible for a cabin, mentoring new crew |
| Cabin manager / purser | Commands the whole cabin crew, works directly with the captain, makes decisions in the cabin |
| Instructor | Trains and assesses new cohorts |
Promotion depends on accumulated hours, assessment results and the airline's needs. The purser is a genuine command position: in the passenger cabin they are the decision-maker and the link to the flight deck.
The job as it really is
What is good about it
- You see a lot of places, and long-haul patterns usually include rest days at the destination.
- Staff travel benefits for yourself and family, depending on the airline's policy.
- Work is rostered by trip rather than eight fixed hours a day.
- Entry does not require a specialist degree or the multi-billion-đồng investment a pilot's licence does.
What to know going in
- Time zones and irregular hours are a permanent feature, not a phase you adjust out of.
- Holidays are peak season — when everyone else goes home is when you fly most.
- Standby duty means being reachable and ready within a set time, with no certainty you will fly.
- Hours on your feet, handling heavy bags, in dry air at reduced cabin pressure.
- Staying calm when passengers are not — and that is the hardest part, which no course fully teaches.
Common questions
What were the 2026 height requirements?
In Vietnam Airlines' 2026 recruitment notice: women from 1.60 m to 1.75 m, men from 1.70 m to 1.82 m.
Do I need a university degree?
No. The minimum is upper secondary education; vocational, college or university qualifications are preferred.
Can I apply without an English certificate?
Under the 2026 Vietnam Airlines notice, yes — you may apply and complete the certificate within up to three months of being notified of selection. The published minimum is TOEIC 550.
Does being selected mean I have the job?
Not yet. You must complete and pass the safety training course to be certified. That is usually the real elimination round.
Why is there a maximum height?
Because cabin ceiling height, aisle width and crew seat positions are fixed. The lower limit is about reaching overhead bins and emergency equipment; the upper limit is about working in that space.
Can I apply if I am over 30?
Vietnam Airlines' 2026 round was limited to 18–30. Each airline and each recruitment round sets its own criteria, so check the notice for the round itself.
Read on
Becoming an airline pilot · A history of commercial aviation · The codes on your ticket
Sources and dates
Entry requirements follow Vietnam Airlines' 2026 cabin crew recruitment notice, recorded at publication, 15 September 2026. Each airline and each recruitment round sets its own criteria and these change — check against the official notice for the round you are interested in. Safety training content follows general industry requirements. This article is for reference and is not a recruitment announcement.
