A Vietnam Airlines aircraft Thursday had to return to Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City 30 minutes after takeoff due to a suspected technical problem, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.

According to a VNA spokesperson, the Airbus A321 took off for Da Nang at 7:30 a.m., and 30 minutes later the cabin crew and passengers smelt something burning.

The captain decided to head back to Tan Son Nhat as a precaution. It turned out that the odor had emanated from a failed air conditioning system.

After landing at 8:20 a.m., the passengers were served food and drinks.

They resumed their journey on another aircraft at noon.

Vietnam Airlines announced later it had fixed the problem.