seasiaflyer

I've been avidly watching the progress on the new terminal at Hanoi's outdated Noi Bai Airport. They've made incredible progress the past few months and I can't wait for it to open. According to the information I have, it should be finished January 1. In fact, I'm flying back to HAN that very day--will it be operable? Should I expect to be on of the inaugural passengers? Any information on Vietnam's newest terminal would be appreciated. I'm curious about features and the impact on flights to Vietnam's capital.

As an aside, could this mean perhaps more and better connections from other airlines? I desperately want a United connection from HKG to HAN.

Long Train Runnin

My dad flew into there a few days ago he said things are definitely looking good, and they were working on the landscaping. The giant sign that was hanging with a countdown however has apparently been taken down.

imm2b

New T2 looks much improved.

Long Train Runnin

From what I heard it should be opening Jan 1 was expected. Looking forward to seeing it for myself in a few weeks.

seasiaflyer

I can confirm that it's open. I landed on Jan 1 flying HND-HAN on an ANA flight. My comments here are about arrivals -- not departures (I'll post on that when I have a flight back to North American on Jan 10).

I will say it's an improvement on the old terminal, which will now become exclusively the domestic terminal. However, the design is not much updated at all, it follows the exact same "aesthetic" (if you can call it that) of the old terminal, with very little in terms of design details, artwork, statues, carpet, etc. It's incredibly sparse, plain and basically just looks nearly the same as the old terminal, only newer and cleaner, which we know will not last long at all. What a shame. The only design flourishes I noticed were a series of shallow ponds and some statues outside the terminal (not inside) along with some ornamental plants.

From the jetway, it's almost a mirror of the old terminal. You are funneled into a customs area above the baggage hall and once you complete immigration you take two central escalators down. It's exactly the same as the old terminal. The baggage area looks nearly the same as the old arrivals hall in the old terminal. Bathrooms are also essentially the same. In the men's room there's not many stalls at all. There are a couple of shops in the baggage area peddling the usual cigarettes, liquor, jewelry, etc. I didn't notice any dining options.

The taxi stand is not directly outside the arrivals, but you have to walk a ways to get there. Curbside just outside the arrivals hall was already packed when I arrived in the middle of the day and difficult to navigate with my bags. Very frustrating to see this kind of chaos...

Seeing the new terminal as basically a replica of the old terminal it just makes you wonder what they are thinking building it. It's cookie cutter. I guess we can be thankful that it adds capacity and hopefully will mean less need for taking buses to domestic flights and more use of jetways.

Daawgon

The problem as I see it is that the new International Terminal is quite a distance from the old Domestic Terminal (I'd guess approx 1/3 of a mile) - news reports say that electric cars will be available for transfers between terminals. What about a train, or is that wishful thinking? Anything would be an improvement for this airport - certainly (formerly) one of Asia's worst!

seasiaflyer

I don't often do an international to domestic transfer in Vietnam, but it is a good question about how to get from one terminal to the other. They are close enough that I expect there will be shuttles. I also think it is walkable, but I suspect most won't want to do that.

HAN isn't great, but the lines are generally short at check-in and security, immigration processing is quick, and with a new terminal the jetway issue should be solved (buses on the tarmac have been the bane of my existence). HAN is pretty hassle free for me, you can cut flights close with no issue. It's never going to be SIN or BKK but it's definitely not as terrible as MNL for example, and I would rate it as better than SGN.

I am hoping that the lounge in the international terminal will be better than the lounge in the old terminal. Will let you know next week.

seasiaflyer

I have some more new information to report as I sit here in the NIA Business Class lounge at HAN's new international terminal.

First, in addition to opening the new terminal, the government has just opened a new high-speed highway connecting Hanoi with Noi Bai Int'l Airport. It is fantastic. It cuts the commute down by about 20 minutes, so that you can reach the airport from West Lake in about 25 minutes max. The road is 3 lanes the entire way, and uses a brand new bridge to cross the Red River. There were pretty much only cars on the road, and it is cut off from other roads so there isn't much motorbike or truck traffic causing congestion. Also, the speeds drivers operate at on this road are FAST. GREAT news for business travelers based in Hanoi! A+ on this road.

I just tried arrivals last week but am trying departures out of the new terminal today. The check in area is large, clean and has the vaulted ceiling style/exposed piping style you would be familiar with at BKK. Flying ANA business class today, fast and easy check in. Very little traffic when I was here, so I can't really comment much on security, however the way it is structures I can see some problems especially with people cutting/shoving in line due to the tiny, tiny tables they have for putting your stuff on, and due to the lack of a system to have the line snake up to it.

The business class lounge is shared by Star Alliance and other carriers. It is a huge improvement in every sense from the old lounge. It has a FANTASTIC view of the tarmac to watch planes arrive/depart, really great, not far from the runway at all. It is big and actually has plants and landscaping. Many more seating options, a business center, and lockers to store your bags. There is a separate dining area, though the options are still about the same as always. Those familiar with the SGN lounge will find this is basically the same. Two soup options and four hot buffet food options. There are also instant noodles. The usual assortment of beers (333, Tiger, Hanoi beer) plus red/white wine and pre-made coffee (no espresso machine). The lounge was full of attentive staff who were fawning over my choices and asking what kind of help I need.

Biz class lounge is by gate 31 up the escalator, not more than 50 steps from security. The high point is DEFINITELY the view of the tarmac. Outstanding, not further than 200m from the runway it seems (OK, I exaggerate... but maybe not). I'm watching SQ175 (777-200) taxi right now.

Still need to check out options down in the terminal itself. I see a Burger King but not much else. Looks like the usual gift shops haven't been fully set up yet.

IceTrojan

Thanks for the update.

They sure like staying inside the proverbial box!

hxhbk

For people who stays in the area around the Hoan Kiem lake, the distance to/from Noi Bai is essentially the same due to the layout of the expressway access to the Nhat Tan bridge (the new suspension bridge). Once off the bridge, you still have to navigate the same 2 lane road (this is the road with the long ceramic mural on one side) to get to West lake area first, then Hoan Kiem lake area. However, the travel time is shorter due to the 100 km/hr speed limit on the airport expressway and on the Nhat Tan bridge, and as noted above the lack of trucks and bikes on this expressway.
On Friday 9-Jan evening, it took me 35 min from the Hilton Opera to Noi Bai T2, compared to the typical 45 min.
The JAL oneworld lounge is quite nice being so brand new. For me the significant improvement over the old T1 lounge is the restroom and shower facilities. Much better design and hardware used.
For the arrival, immigration and custom set up is pretty much like the old T1. The signage is quite clear pointing to taxi queue toward the left as you exit the arrival hall.

IceTrojan

This piques my interest... is JL actually operating their own lounge, or is it contracted to the airport catering company?

When the international terminal first opened at SGN, the Rose Lounge (the contracted lounge used by JL) had showers that were poorly designed. When the lounge manager eagerly and proudly asked how I liked the new lounge, I suggested some improvements on the showers, which he seemed to process seriously.

I guess the end result was that the "enhancement" was to eliminate them completely a few months later.

hxhbk

I was incorrect to use the term "JAL". I was on the overnight flight from HAN to NRT on JAL. This new lounge is not operated by and solely for JAL. IIRC, at least 3 or 4 other airlines share the lounge.
The old T1 lounge I use for my JAL flights had one sink, 2 -3 urinals, and 1 shower that did not look clean to me at all. The new lounge au contraire, is more airy, more hardware up to today's standard like NRT and a couple of shower rooms that look much better.

seasiaflyer

Yes, the lounge is shared -- there's only one from what I can tell. It's managed by a third party company. As hxhbk said the bathrooms are a huge improvement. However I must have missed the showers -- did not see any.

callmedtop

Any new experiences to post regarding Domestic -> International transit?

I'm flying July 9 from CXR to HAN on VN, and then HAN to NRT on JL on an award flight, continuing onto ORD.

JL flight leaves at 12:05AM from Hanoi. We are in Business / quicker lines.

VN flight can either arrive into Hanoi at 7:20PM or 9:35PM. I'd LOVE to take the later flight since its 2 more hours in paradise, but is that cutting it too close? We typically do not check bags.

It's within MCT, but separate tickets, so no protection if things go awry.

Thanks!
Dan

seasiaflyer

I still haven't done the domestic->international transfer at HAN. However, I really think that arriving at 9:35pm will give you PLENTY of time to make a 12:05am departure. I would go with the later flight. The terminals aren't really that far (not like in Manila where you can be stuck in traffic for an hour between terminals). They are right next to each other and I've noticed very clear signs for transfers domestic->international and vice versa. That said, I haven't done it, but I can't imagine it taking very long.