Vietnam

While I mainly want to keep this trip report flight focused, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least share just a few photos from my travels in Vietnam.

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

During my visit the city was buzzing with energy on account of the upcoming 40th Anniversary of the Reunification of North and South Vietnam – which was observed later in the week (while I was in Hanoi).

Nursing some serious jetlag at 1am:









VN7126 SGN-DAD

I initially purchased my ticket on the Vietnam Airlines webpage about five days before the flight. As it was a holiday period in Vietnam, availability was surprisingly limited despite the large amount of frequencies offered between Saigon and Da Nang. Ultimately, it turned out that a business class ticket was only about $18 USD more than the least expensive economy ticket available – so the choice was easy. The total ticket cost was $130 – which I thought was very reasonable by U.S. standards given how close-in the ticket was purchased.

I arrived back at the Tan Son Nhat Airport’s domestic terminal about 70 minutes before departure. Economy check-in looked like a disaster, but fortunately there was no wait for the business class check-in or the priority security check. I made my way upstairs to the gate area, and walked the length of the terminal until I arrived at Vietnam Airlines’ domestic business class lounge. Having a quiet place to relax for over an hour made the small additional cost for the business class ticket worthwhile.



To say the lounge was outdated would be a massive understatement. The 1980s called and they want their worn out living room back. At least, however, the lounge was comfortable. There was an ample buffet of food in the center, so I made myself a plate with some spring rolls and fruit. Soft drinks, domestic beer, and wine was also available. Overall, the lounge managed to exceed my expectations despite the décor.



Boarding was slightly delayed due to a late inbound aircraft. Ultimately, the lounge agent announced a gate change for us and called boarding around 12:30pm.

Vietnam Airlines 7126
Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang (SGN-DAD)
Airbus A321
April 27, 2015
12:30P-1:50P (sked)
12:55P-2:05P (actual)
Flight Time: 56min
Business Class
Seat 2G



The A321 seems to be the workhorse of Vietnam Airway’s domestic fleet, and is comfortably configured with 16 seats in the business class cabin each with a pitch of 38 inches. Very similar to a narrow-body first class cabin in the U.S. – and more than enough space for any domestic route in Vietnam (the longest of which probably doesn’t exceed 2hrs). A refreshing cold towel service and choice of water or apple juice was offered prior to departure. This flight filled to capacity in business class, and coach appeared to be almost completely full as well.



A young British-sounding captain made a welcome PA, and we were soon pushing back from the gate about 25 minutes behind schedule.



I didn’t really have much of an expectation for in-flight service on this short segment, so I was pleasantly surprised when the flight attendant came by with a light meal tray featuring an open faced sandwich and fruit bowl. Soft drinks and domestic Vietnamese beer was also offered, although it appears there’s no wine or hard liquor catered on Vietnam’s domestic flights. Overall, I was very pleased with the level of service onboard this sub-1hr hop up the Vietnamese coast.



Before long, we began our descent into Da Nang concluding with a very firm touchdown. We managed to makeup some time en route, ultimately pulling into the gate just 10 minutes behind schedule. My first experience on Vietnam Airlines proved to be a good one.

Da Nang

I cannot say enough positive things about the Intercontinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort – it is truly a first-rate property and greatly exceeded all of my expectations. When I booked, it was just 25,000 IHG points per night (the award price has since increased to 35,000 pts/night) – an absolute bargain considering the cheapest available room during my stay was over $650 USD/night. The property is isolated – about 30 minutes north of Da Nang – but absolutely breathtaking and first class all around.















Hoi An

I greatly enjoyed an evening food tour while in Hoi An – an historic trading post south of Da Nang full of traditional architecture that went largely unscathed during the Vietnam War thanks to cooperation of both sides. The atmosphere was absolutely ethereal with thousands of lanterns lighting up the town.





Anthony Bourdain called this the best bahn mi he’s ever tasted. I’m included to agree…



Hoi An’s historic Japanese Bridge, dating from the 1590s:



A local game of Bai Choi (essentially, Vietnamese bingo)





VN126 DAD-HAN

Similar to my fight from Saigon, I booked this ticket about 5 days prior to departure. The price delta between the cheapest economy and business fares was even less – only about $15 USD – so, again, the choice was an easy one. Wanting to maximize my time relaxing at the Intercontinental, I had already decided to book an evening flight. When I saw this particular flight was originally scheduled to be operated on a regionally-configured A330, I knew which flight to pick. There’s something I really enjoy about the excessiveness of flying a wide-bodied aircraft on an ultra-shorthaul route such as this one (AA’s 767 MIA-MCO and UA’s old 747 LAX-SFO flights come to mind).

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be… upon arriving at the Da Nang airport I was informed my flight was delayed 90 minutes and there was an aircraft swap to a A321. The business class check-in agent proactively offered to put me on an earlier flight that was just about to close, but I declined since I had a phone call back to the States scheduled at 7:30pm.

Intercontinental Sun Peninsula Resort Airport Lounge Da Nang

I was ushered through security by an Intercontinental hotel representative, who had been assisting me since I arrived curbside at the airport, and I elected to bypass the Vietnam Airlines domestic business class lounge and instead enjoy the neighboring lounge operated by the Intercontinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort. I believe access is granted to all departing Intercontinental guests flying domestically from Da Nang, although I could be mistaken. If I had to guess, I imagine this is one of the nicest – if not the nicest – airport lounge in all of Vietnam. Tonight I would be the only guest, and I was assured they would keep the lounge open until my delayed flight commenced boarding.



I had two lovely lounge agents looking after me, and they insisted that I order something off the menu. Ultimately, I settled on a gin & tonic and what can best be described as a deconstructed plate of bahn mi. The service was very attentive (I didn’t even have to ask for a drink refill) and everything was complimentary – so it’s really hard to find any downside about the lounge. After about 90 minutes, I was told my flight was ready for boarding and one of the lounge agents escorted me down to the gate.



Vietnam Airlines 126
Da Nang to Hanoi (DAD-HAN)
Airbus A321
April 29, 2015
8:20P-9:40P (sked)
9:50P-11:00P (actual)
Flight Time: 1hr
Business Class
Seat 2G




There was a long but relatively orderly line of passengers waiting to board, but the priority boarding queue was entirely empty when I arrived at the gate. It turns out that all the other business class passengers had switched to the earlier flight – which also ended up being delayed – so I was the only still remaining business class passenger on VN126!



Boarding was completed quickly, and I was offered cold towel and glass of water. This flight was commanded by another expat captain – this time with a French accent. As we taxied out, we enjoyed some incredible views of the Da Nang International Fireworks Competition, held every two years and supposedly one of the largest fireworks competitions in the world.

There was no wait to takeoff, and were soon rocketing through a broken layer of clouds on our way up to Hanoi. In flight service was similar to my previous flight, with a selection of small open face sandwiches and a drink service. There were initially two business class flight attendants, but one went back to help out the economy cabin while the other one did a great job looking after me on this short flight. As soon as my meal tray was cleared, she returned with a fresh glass and another can of Halida beer seemingly reading my mind.





About 35 minutes after takeoff we commenced our initial descent into Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport. The domestic terminal seemed relatively deserted as we pulled onto the stand bringing to close another great Vietnam Airlines domestic flight – especially considering the price paid – despite the slight delay.

Hanoi













Authentic Vietnamese egg coffee, could be the best coffee I’ve ever tasted: