After a holiday in Dalat, Lam Dong Province, Cuong and his wife boarded Vietjet flight VJ692 to Cat Bi International Airport in Haiphong City on September 2.
The flight took off at 6.25 pm and was scheduled to land in Haiphong at around 8.30 pm. Shortly before landing, however, the crew announced that the aircraft would be diverted to Noi Bai International Airport.
"The announcement came as a surprise, but there was no panic. Everyone followed the instructions of the pilots and cabin crew," Cuong said.
The aircraft landed at Noi Bai about 30 minutes later, where passengers remained on board for around 90 minutes. Shortly after 10.30 pm, the flight was cleared to return to Cat Bi.
While waiting in Hanoi, Cuong looked for a car in case he had to travel overland to Haiphong to make it back in time for work on September 3.
He said the journey took about two hours longer than planned, leaving passengers tired.
"The wait was longer than expected, but everyone understood. Flight safety must come first," he said.
Another Haiphong family faced a similar delay after Vietjet flight VJ282 left Tan Son Nhat Internationla Airport at 5.40 pm and was due to arrive at Cat Bi at around 7.40 pm.
Shortly before the scheduled landing, passengers were told that the aircraft could not land at Cat Bi and would instead divert to Noi Bai, where it refuelled while awaiting further instructions.
After nearly three hours, passengers were told that the aircraft had been cleared to return to Cat Bi.
"We had brought food and water, so we could wait patiently. Everyone was worried that we might have to travel by car from Hanoi to Haiphong," said a passenger on the flight.
Another family on the same flight said their journey was about three hours longer than expected.
"It was certainly a trip to remember. For the first time, we flew from Hanoi to Haiphong in just 30 minutes. By car on the expressway, it normally takes us about two hours," according to another passenger.