Quach Lam, 39, was smoking in the toilet on the two-hour flight, Giao Thong newspaper reported on Saturday.

It was spotted by the crew who reported it to authorities upon landing at Noi Bai.

Last month aviation authorities slapped nine-month bans on two men after they refused to pay fines for smoking on domestic flights.

They fined a teenage girl VND2 million ($88) last year for smoking on a flight despite repeated warnings by the crew.

In 2017 flight bans were imposed on 40 people in Vietnam for smoking, fighting or stealing on flights.