A vane pump includes: a housing with a first end-facing wall and a second end-facing wall which delineate a delivery chamber on one end-facing side each, and with a circumferential wall which extends around the delivery chamber; a rotor which can be rotated about a rotational axis in the delivery chamber and which forms a first axial gap with the first end-facing wall and a second axial gap with the second end-facing wall; multiple vanes which can be moved back and forth in guide slots of the rotor, wherein the guide slots have sub-vane regions which are connected to the high-pressure side of the delivery chamber in order to apply pressure to the underside of the respective vanes; and a collecting structure for collecting fluid via the first axial gap.