A Vietnam Airlines flight leaving Ho Chi Minh City for Hanoi was delayed for more than three hours after a passenger joked about a bomb shortly before takeoff on Thursday evening.

Le Anh Tuan, 27, reportedly pointed at his girlfriend and said, “There is a bomb on her body!” to a ground service officer at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

The officer immediately reported Tuan’s statement and informed the captain and security officers as well.

Security officers searched the plane and all the luggage on the aircraft, delaying the flight by more than three hours.

The plane took off after the search was completed.

Vietnam Airlines did not announce how it would punish the passenger for joking about bombs.

Last month, a French passenger was fined VND15 million (US$724.98) for making a bomb joke when a Vietnam Airlines plane was boarding at the Tan Son Nhat Airport.

Earlier in April, a Vietnamese passenger was sentenced to 10 months probation and fined VND240 million (US$11,600) for making a hoax bomb threat, also involving an aircraft belonging to the national carrier.