SGN Transfer Question -- Am I cutting it too close?
 

Quick question for you VN experts :)

Leaving Vietnam, We have a 10:20am flight SGN-BKK on TG. My preference was to spend our last night in Hoi An, then catch the 6:05am VN flight out of DAD. I would think that wold leave us plenty of time to connect...but having never flown VN before nor been to SGN, I have no idea if this is too risky. Complicating matters, (a) we'll be there in October when I understand the weather can be a problem, and (b) the TG flight is the first segment of our return *A award, so if we miss that flight, we are big-time SOL.

Would any of you risk this? The obvious alternative is to fly into SGN the night before...it's just that we'd so much rather spend another night at the resort in Hoi An than negotiate HCMC for a night.

Thanks for your help! :D

I think you should be safe usually.

Especially: i did the almost same thing Last Year but we spent the Night in hcmc. And i terribly regreted that, simply because eventhough we stayed at the Park hatt, that didnt match up to the resort in Hoi an.

All of our vn flights were eventless and on time.

I would not risk it. Check in at SGN is at least 3 hours unless you flying business or first. The domestic terminal is separate from the international terminal so you have to wait and pickup your baggage then walk to the international terminal, about 400 yards. The weather factor compounds the problem.

I would fly into SGN the night before and party until you drop. There are cheap hotel that you can rent by the hour, just check with the taxi driver. Be able to speak Vietnamese would be a plus in finding and negotiating for a hotel.

In order to get to DAD for a 6AM flight you'll need to leave no later than 4AM. That doesn't sound worthwhile to me for an extra night in Hoi An.

If everything went smoothly you'd have no problem with the transfer at SGN but I wouldn't risk it, especially as you've stated it's the first leg of an award.

First, I don't think you will miss your TG flight at 10:20am barring IRROPS.
The walk from the domestic terminal to the international shouldn't take you more than 10 mins with luggage.

In the event of IRROPS, I'd make sure you let VN know that you have an international flight to catch. The VN service counter is immediately left (about 10m) when you walk into the main entrance of the new DN airport. As much as I've ranted about VN service, one thing they will do is prioritize international travelers in your situation. Also, you may want to let TG know ahead of time that you are on VN Flight XX DAD-SGN. You might also want to get the TG phone number in SGN handy. If the IRROPS is due to weather, more than likely, it may also effect BKK as well. Last, I saw a post the other day that BKK is repairing some runways. Might want to check that out too.

However, I think dsquared37 makes a practical point that you will have to leave Hoi An by 4AM so I'm not sure if it's worth it to stay. But if it is, that's your call and be prepared for a long morning regardless.

Actually, i somehow missed the Point with flight Times. I was on the evening tg flight. Given these circumstances, its probably not worth it to stay an extra night in Hoi an.

Thanks for the advice! ^

I think we're going to play it safe and spend the night before in HCMC. Just not worth sweating it...