Vietnam Airlines lowers prices for overseas vietnamese HANOI - Vietnam's national carrier Vietnam Airlines has temporarily lowered airfares for Vietnamese living abroad to the same price that local Vietnamese pay, a Vietnam Airlines official told Dow Jones Newswire Friday. The fare reduction began Feb. 6 and ends March 31, he said. The airline hasn't decided when it will lower fares permanently for overseas Vietnamese. Vietnam charges foreigners almost double what Vietnamese pay for services ranging from airline tickets to water supplies. Many investors have complained about the practice, which they say is unfair. However, Hanoi has yet to unify its price systems. Despite the delays in cutting prices for all foreigners, a series of recent moves indicate the government is trying to cut prices for overseas Vietnamese because they are considered a powerful source of income for family and friends still living in Vietnam. In early February, Hanoi liberalized the rules that control the remittance of hard-currency funds from overseas into local bank accounts - most of which is sent by Vietnamese living abroad. The government also promised to allow overseas Vietnamese travel by train for the same price as local Vietnamese. Dow Jones - February 11, 2000.