Catweazle

I just uploaded this little post on my blog and wanted to share it here as well. My writing is certainly not at its best this afternoon and doesn't quite live up to an earlier FlyerTalk trip report documenting a two month stint across Western Europe (which you can read HERE if interested). In fact, it all seems rather bland. Better things to come soon, I expect. Anyway, here we are...

Vietnam's national flag carrier has kept its head in the news lately. Koji Shibata, ANA's senior vice president, was recently nominated for a position on its Board of Directors. A meeting is scheduled for tomorrow to discuss the selling and leasing back of four new aircraft as Vietnam Airlines (VN) continues to develop its fleet. With an order in the works for A321neos and plans to phase out their Boeing 777-200s and A330s, the average age of their aircraft is only 5.7 years old. It comes as no surprise, therefore, to hear of the new thrice weekly service from Sydney to Hanoi that will be launched later this year, in addition to their current routes servicing Ho Chi Minh City. From March 28, travelers from Sydney wanting to visit Vietnam's political capital will no longer have to transfer to a connecting flight at Tan Son Nhat Interntional, the nation's busiest airport, instead being able to fly direct in 9.5 hours on board a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Qantas will most likely operate a codeshare alliance with Vietnam Airlines for this flight.

Back in 2015, VN received its first of fourteen Airbus A350-900 aircraft, becoming the world's second airline to fly the A350. So it was that when researching flights between Vietnam's two largest cities, Ho Chi Minh City (known to most as Saigon) and Hanoi, the concept of flying aboard one of these aircraft, barely twelve months in action, became all the more appealing. I was honoured to experience Jetstar's inaugural Dreamliner flight to the Gold Coast some years ago, and had marveled then at the advancement in modern aviation. The Dreamliner continues to be one of the most popular planes by commercial airliner standards and Boeing has not stopped production on those things yet. Curiosity got the better of me, and it seemed like a fun thing to do to give the A350 a run for its money.

At first, however, frustration grew as we has some issues when it came to booking the airfares online. VN's website may not be the greatest, but then surely it's not the worst either. The main problem appeared when it came time for payment, as the website wasn't so keen on accepting my debit Mastercard (apparently a common problem; the booking engine requires a Vietnamese-based card).

I tried several travel agents (whom I generally loathe) but they can only pull up fares available to the Australian market and VN's website is not price-beatable simply because its hosted in Vietnam. Flight Centre, STA Travel and Helloworld, amongst others, were keen to sell me an economy seat in Y for over $340, whereas I was looking at around $260 for a business class fare in J.

There's a certain stubbornness in my Dutch blood. I remained eager to get value for money and have my first taste of the upper flying class. Somehow it worked out in the end, although I can't exactly remember now. It might have had something to do with contacting the Melbourne head office who very kindly put me on the right track. In any case, I found myself pouring a glass of Bordeaux in the SGN domestic business class lounge at eight o'clock on one very busy Tuesday morning.

Perhaps it sounds slightly snobbish but then, you know, wine is made from grapes and a glass of fruit juice in the morning is a great way to wake up. And I didn't put the alcohol in it; that just happened to be in there after the scientific process known as fermentation. Ask the French.

The lounge was so crowded at that hour that it was hard even to find a seat. The odds of knocking someone's briefcase or tripping over Mr Nguyen's outstretched feet were ten to one. Then again, I never was much of a gambling man except when I won $1.50 on the Melbourne Cup.

It was a welcome little place to sit down and relax and await one's flight, however. The public seating at each gate was mostly taken up too, as if every Australian tourist was traveling that particular day. Perhaps they were, given that three thousand die-hard Aussie pilgrims had made the voyage to Vung Tau only a few days before to remember their loved ones who served at the Battle of Long Tan. A most memorable week, despite the political rumbles (described by Vietnam veteran Dave Sabben MG as a "bunfight") that went right up to presidential level, and a good tale for another time... (For those who haven't yet heard, the Vietnamese Government cancelled the days' memorial event and forbade anyone to visit the site of the memorial cross on August 18th last year).


Presently it came time for boarding the aircraft and, given our business class airfares, we were the first to board. I spent the first few minutes snapping photos, pressing buttons and making myself at home while the more experienced passengers opened their newspapers, donned their Bose headphones or closed their eyes and slipped into an unconscious state. It wasn't long before I heard the distinct sound of snoring coming from further up the cabin, as the flight attendant (FA) found a second glass of golden apple juice.

I now understand why some folk refuse to fly up back in cattle class. If you have the frequent flyer miles or even the finances to boot, it's a wonderful way to pass some time and travel from A to B. There's no awkwardness of having to constantly sit bolt upright for hours on end if you can lie down flat at 180º. The food actually tastes good and the wine – well, you realise it's still barely nine o'clock in the morning by the time you start on your second glass. The characters and explosives on the widescreen HD in-flight entertainment systems are visible, for once, and the headphones cancel out some of the engine noise. Businessmen can work if they're under pressure not to relax, whilst the rest of us have a holiday in the air at 36,000 feet. I pressed the ding-dong bell and ordered a Coke, just because it's there.

Halfway through the flight, the FA whipped a table cloth out from absolutely nowhere and laid it flat upon my tray table as I slowly tilted upwards in my seat. That whizzbang electronic business-class seat equipment sure got a good work out that day. She carefully positioned the metal cutlery, and then enquired as to my choice from the daily lunch menu. I hadn't eaten much in the Lotus lounge because of the hot buffet breakfast served earlier that morning at the Grand Hotel Saigon (a great place to stay, by the way). Several hours later and food was on my mind again, so I chose the chicken over the vegetarian option. I sometimes wonder where vegetarians get their protein from. How many chia seeds do you have to eat before your muscles have sorted themselves out again?


The business cabin was light and full of air. The FAs were smiling and cheerful, typical of the warmth of Asian hospitality. Although only a short domestic hop in two hours flying time, the A350 is decked out as an aircraft on an international leg. The clouds beyond the window really did look like balls of vanilla-flavoured fairy floss. I stared out the window, having finished reading the fascinating travel articles in the magazine found stuffed into the seat pocket in front of me. Before I knew it, we'd already started out descent into Hanoi and the table cloth was whisked away again. The first half of the trip was over and a new adventure in the North was about to begin.

roadwarrier