Vietnam's New Power Bank Rules Take Off July 1: Not a Ban, but Here's How to Pack Them

[Vietnam's New Power Bank Rules Take Off July 1: Not a Ban, but Here's How to Pack Them]

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has issued a directive that, from July 1, 2026, brings passengers' lithium power banks under one nationwide set of rules. The key point: this is not a ban on bringing them. You can still take a power bank on the plane. What changes is how you pack it, how many you carry, and whether you can use it in the air.

First, power banks can only go in your carry-on, never in checked baggage — and that part has always been the case, since lithium batteries were never allowed in the hold. Second, each passenger may carry at most two, counted per person. Third, capacity matters: a lithium-ion power bank rated at 100 watt-hours (Wh) or less can be brought freely, while one between 100Wh and 160Wh needs the airline's prior approval.

The part you'll actually feel is the rule on using them. For the entire flight, you can't use a power bank to charge your phone or any other device, and you can't recharge the power bank itself through the seat's USB port. You also have to take it out of your bag and keep it somewhere visible. For storage, you need to guard against short circuits: leave it in its original packaging, tape over the exposed metal terminals, or put each one in its own bag.

The rules got this tight because things had actually gone wrong.

From March 2025, several Asian carriers began tightening up: EVA Air, Thai Airways and AirAsia, among others, banned the use of power banks in flight. On March 20, a Hong Kong Airlines flight from Hangzhou to Hong Kong had a power bank overheat and catch fire in an overhead bin, forcing an emergency diversion to Fuzhou. A few days later, Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air followed suit, barring passengers from using lithium power banks onboard.

The July 1 rule simply takes what individual airlines had each set on their own and upgrades it into one nationwide, enforceable standard that applies to every flight and passenger in Vietnam — broadly in line with the international norms for transporting dangerous goods by air.

For travelers heading to Vietnam, what to remember is simple: keep power banks in your carry-on, no more than two, somewhere visible, and don't charge anything from your seat during the flight. If you've got an unusually large one, check with your airline before you go.