In the winter of 2023, I went on a winter vacation to central Japan with my family. Our plan was to arrive via Nagoya and depart from Osaka. As there were only red eye flights between Singapore and Nagoya, I thought flying on Business Class would be more forgiving on my (ageing) body.
When I started searching in May (around 6 months before the trip), most airlines had hiked their airfare. Therefore, I jumped on the opportunity when I saw that Vietnam Airlines was offering ~SGD1.3k (VN22,911,000) for a Business Class seat to Nagoya.
This is my trip report on Vietnam Airlines Business Class to Nagoya, via Ho Chi Minh. The 12-hour journey would see me fly to Ho Chi Minh on VN654 on their A321, followed by the longer leg of VN340, also on their Airbus A321. I would also be dropping in to the lounges open to their premium class passengers, the SATS Premier Lounge prior to the journey, and Vietnam Airlines’ lounge at Ho Chi Minh during my transit.
Trip Overview
Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City (SIN-SGN)
Flight Number: VN654
Aircraft Type / Registration: A321 / VN-A338
Class: Business
Departure (ETD/ATD): 1825hrs (GMT+8) / 1900hrs (GMT+8)
Arrival (ETA/ATA): 2000hrs (GMT+7) / 1938hrs (GMT+7)
Duration (Estimated/Actual): 2h 35m / 1h 38m
Seat: 4G
Meal Service: Dinner
Ho Chi Minh City to Nagoya (SGN-NGO)
Flight Number: VN340
Aircraft Type / Registration: A321 / VN-A606
Class: Business
Departure (ETD/ATD): 0015hrs (GMT+7) / 0025hrs (GMT+7)
Arrival (ETA/ATA): 0800hrs (GMT+9) / 0716hrs (GMT+9)
Duration (Estimated/Actual): 5h 45m / 4h 51m
Seat: 1G
Meal Service: Breakfast
Pre-flight: Checking In
Although Vietnam Airlines has no Business Class lounge in Changi, they did have dedicated check in for Business Class passengers, thereby cutting the queue time. I was able to collect the tickets for both legs of my flight. While the SATS staff was great at processing my check in, I couldn’t say the same for their exception handling.
First, they failed to inform me that my seat was changed (for reasons unknown). When I spotted the “error” on my boarding pass, she insisted that there was nothing wrong. I pressed on and showed my eTicket, and that was when she went to check with her team leader. Only after about 10 minutes did I finally know that my original seat of choice was faulty. Even then, there was no service recovery, which was definitely a negative for handling premium class passengers.
Pre-flight: Revisit SATS Premier Lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 3
Vietnam Airlines did not maintain their own lounges in Singapore. Instead, Business Class passengers were invited to use SATS Premier Lounge Terminal 3. The lounge was right after the security and immigration, on the left towards the escalator that led to the lounge at level 3.
Sandwiched between Singapore Airlines’ Krisflyer Gold Lounge and First and Business Class Lounges, the SATS Premier Lounge was only open to premium passengers of participating airlines. The friendly SATS staff promptly checked me in using my boarding pass and passport. To be honest, her attitude felt warmer than the reception staff at Singapore Airlines Business Class Lounge during my trip in early 2023.
Seating
The rather compact lounge was carved into 2 sections: the food area and an expansive seating area that contained varied seatings. As the lounge was rather empty at that time, I got to pick my seat in the middle of the lounge, where a line of high-backed chairs was interspersed with coffee tables. The chair was big and cushy, though the small and low coffee tables probably weren’t designed for enjoying the lounge food.
Food and Beverage
Speaking of food, the lounge’s offering was rather impressive for its size. It was split into the drinks, hot food and cold food sections. There was also a noodle station where a staff served freshly cooked laksa. As I was expecting a long night till I reached Japan, I went for the hot food to make sure I was well fed prior to the flight.
The hot food was mainly Southeast Asian cuisine, like Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee, and a variety of stir-fried dishes of chicken, fish and tofu. There was also pasta as an alternate carbs option. Although the spread consisted of about 8 dishes, every one was palatable. Ironically, I found their food options more representative of Southeast Asian cuisine than that found in SQ’s Krisflyer Lounge!
The beverage section was also well stocked with a range of alcohol, juices, soft drinks, coffee and tea. As it was pretty late at night, I skipped the caffeine beverages and focused instead on the plain water instead. Why? Because the weak air conditioning was making me feel very warm.
Vibes
Like the Singapore Airlines Business Class Lounge, the SATS Premier Lounge opened out into the main terminal, and hence was warm and stuffy due to the lack of ventilation in the upper area of the terminal. I noticed that the lounge had placed a ventilator at a corner to alleviate the situation, albeit slightly. However, I think the responsibility lies with Changi Airport to make the terminal more comfortable for travellers.
By the time I left, the lounge was getting crowded. Indeed, my flight at 7pm was early compared to the bulk of the flights that were leaving around midnight. As VN654 was at the furthest end of the terminal (A18), I had to cater for around 10 minutes to slowly make my way to board.
Aircraft
Both sectors of my flight to Nagoya were operated on the A321, a narrowbody by Airbus. The business class seats were at the front in a 2-2 seating arrangement, spread over 4 rows. Depending on the configuration, there would be 162 or 168 seats in the Economy Class. The higher capacity was achieved by reducing the legroom for the Business Class seats. Therefore, the roomier A321 was deployed for longer routes, like my flight to Nagoya, while the more compact configuration was used on the shuttle routes, like my flight to Ho Chi Minh City.
The flight to Ho Chi Minh City was full, literally, not due to the reduced seat pitch. The Nagoya sector was just as crowded, but there were still empty seats in the cabin.
Pre-flight: Boarding
The boarding for both flights were different, due to the airport’s capabilities. At Changi, our boarding was via gate A18 in Terminal 3, while we had a bus gate at Ho Chi Minh City. However, as both were single aisle aircraft, boarding was done via one door – the one before the Business Class cabin.
Boarding for VN654
Our boarding was delayed by 30 minutes, which I assumed was due to the late arrival of the previous flight. There was minimal communications from the staff regarding the delay.
The ground staff also did little to manage the boarding process. There was no distinction between the boarding groups, much less a separate queue for Business Class passengers. Consequently, a jam backed up on the aerobridge. Yes, I was trapped in that jam. There was no priority boarding, at least for Business Class passengers exiting Singapore.
Boarding for VN340
As it was the first time I was at Ho Chi Minh City’s airport, I wasn’t sure if all gates were at the ground level like my bus gate. Thankfully, we let on to the bus on time. There was a wait for about 5 minutes on the bus, as the aircraft wasn’t ready.
Interestingly, I witnessed Vietnam’s profound respect for the monks. Not only was the sole monk taking the bus used for Business Class, but he was also the first to board and alight the bus and onto the plane.
Pre-Take-off Service
As the entire flight boarded the aircraft through the one door before the Business Class cabin, there was constant traffic up till the moment the door was closed. I was told that I should enjoy this bourgeois moment – the moment when all the Economy class passengers would walk past me for their seat, while I was all settled in. But of course, I pity the cabin crew. The preflight service for Business Class was constantly disrupted whenever there were Economy Class passengers passing through.
We were served by an inflight manager and a cabin crew. The poised junior diligently handed out wet towels and welcome drinks during boarding. I salute her for being able to complete that task amidst the chaos! With time left to take off after push back, she also took our meal orders, right after the safety demonstration.
The pre-take-off service for the Nagoya flight was mostly the same, save for the meal orders. Breakfast was served about 1.5 hours before arriving at Nagoya. Hence, we were only consulted on our meal preference after our sleep.
Seat and Space on Vietnam Airlines A321 Business Class
As mentioned, both sectors of my flight were operated on 2 types of A321. At first glance, the seats for both aircraft types looked similar. They were enlarged versions of the Economy Class seats, with none of the privacy of contemporary, long haul Business Class seats that Vietnam Airlines installed on their newer A350s. Therefore, carry ons had to be stored in the overhead compartments, with smaller bags tucked under the seat in front of us. Although the seat pockets were fixed onto a bigger seat, its design was such that we could only place small personal items in it.
Each couple of seats shared a spacious armrest, so I need not brush shoulders with my stranger neighbour. The shared armrest also had a small table top built onto it, as well as a retractable cup tray. There was also a personal air vent in the ceiling. Although I didn’t think the aircraft was warm and stuffy, this fixture that’s fast becoming obsolete on new aircraft types was definitely a welcome sight!
The seats could recline, but not into a flatbed. The calf rest that could be raised (but not to the horizontal level), and that also meant that those at the window seats would have difficulties getting out to use the bathroom. All of these could be controlled with the mechanical seat controls. Mechanical, because we had to twist the lever in different directions to control the degree of recline. The 6-way headrest provided added comfort. But the seat in its totality was not suited for red eye flights of more than 6 hours. Like my flight to Nagoya.
Differences on the Two A321
Upon closer look, there were still differences between the 2 aircraft types. The seats of the Nagoya flight were in a different upholstery and looked newer than the short haul version. Most distinctly, the seat trays were stored in the shared armrest for the medium haul A321.
I didn’t notice that the legroom was bigger, because I was seated at the bulkhead for my Nagoya flight. Similarly, I could get out of my seat easily as there were no reclined seats encroaching into my seat pitch.
However, I did notice that my seat for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City could not be reclined. Neither could the calf rest be raised. I noticed that none of the other seats were reclined, so I guessed the seats for this flight were programmed to be non adjustable (?!). But then again, it was a short 2 hour flight, during which we had a meal to finish. After accounting for the hour for take off and landing, there really wasn’t much time to recline and relax!
Inflight Entertainment (IFE) and WiFi
Being a regional aircraft, there was no personal inflight entertainment system. Nor was there inflight wifi. Half the time, I was staring into space (or crafting this trip review). There was a common TV screen that hung from the ceiling (throwback to older days). However, the screen was retracted after showing the safety video. It was funny, because built into our armrest was the old style IFE remote control (which I assumed was for listening to piped music) and a headphone jack for headphones that was only provided for the Nagoya flight.
Amenities Kit
The flight to Ho Chi Minh was no-frills. There wasn’t even a cushion waiting for me at the seat when I boarded. Comparatively, the Nagoya flight felt luxurious. There was the standard comfort pack – cushion, blanket, slippers and headphones – 2 of which I don’t use lol
We were also given an amenities kit. The kit consisted of a lip balm, moisturiser, comb, eye shades, ear plugs, socks and dental kit. Except for the lip balm and moisturiser (I’m after all a watery person), the others came in quite handy for catching forty winks during the flight.
Vietnam Airlines Business Class Inflight Meals
Truth be told, I’m no Vietnamese cuisine lover. Hence, I was mentally prepared to go without food on my entire flight. (Which was also why I stuffed my face with food at SATS Premier Lounge in Changi.) However, the inflight meals of this flight was really out of expectations.
Dinner on Regional Flight
Rumour has it that despite the short 2-hour flight, the cabin crew was efficient enough to complete serving a full meal service. Indeed, they had lived up to the expectation.
I ordered the “Fish with Rice”, among options like Beef with Noodles, and Pork with Noodles.
My meal came with sauteed vegetables, Vietnamese salad, cut fruits and garlic bread. What looked like fried fish was actually steamed fishcake wrapped in brinjal. It was the first time I had something like this, much less on the plane!
The fishcake was tender and moist, though it felt like there was more flour than fish. Instead, the garlic bread with its fragrance and crispiness took the crown of the best food on that flight!
Breakfast over South China Sea
Breakfast was served about 2 hours before landing. Between Japanese and Western meals, I chose the former, which was Oden (Japanese style soup).
My meal came via a tray service, but the plating was nothing short of Japanese standards. The main soup was filled with tofu puff that soaked up all the soup’s goodness. There was a “main” consisting of sauteed fish, prawns and mushrooms. The side dish came with pickles, tamagoyaki, prawns and fishcake. Overall, the presentation and taste of the meal met expectations and perhaps a bit more.
Staff Service
As for the staff, it was a mixed bag. Their service was up to mark. During the 2 hour flight out of Singapore, the crew wrapped up meal service well before we made the descent to Ho Chi Minh’s airport. They also managed to complete the breakfast service with just 1.5 hours before our arrival into Nagoya. Impressively, their service didn’t feel rushed. However, I came to appreciate that we should never take the last row on Vietnam Airlines’ short haul A321. I was the last to be served my food and I had barely touched it when the crew started to clear the tables.
Despite our language barrier, one of them answered my query about the bright lights spread over the Vietnamese nightscape (which they eventually revealed were the dragon fruit farms) by checking in with her colleagues. The downside, though, was that they didn’t dim the cabin lights during take off and landing. While it seemed that Vietnam Airlines didn’t regard this as a form of safety issue, I was more disappointed that I couldn’t take a proper view-from-the-top photo or video, due to the reflections from the cabin lighting.
Arriving into Ho Chi Minh City
By the time we arrive at Ho Chi Minh’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport, it was already dusk. My first glimpse of Ho Chi Minh were the sparkling lights in the darkness below. That being said, the landing was smooth and we quickly stopped at our bus gate.
Transiting Ho Chi Minh’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport
Due to the infrastructure limitation at the airport, almost all narrowbody aircraft stop at the bus gate. Luckily for us, the airline catered for a bus just for the premium class passengers. The only mystery was that the number of seats on the bus matched that of the plane, but there were still a few of us left standing.
As advised by aviation geeks online, it was a battle of sorts to complete the transit process. The security clearance, if you can find it at all, would take a long time as it was just served by a single machine.
The initial steps were rather straightforward. After alighting the bus, we entered the building and went up the escalator. Next, keep your eyes up on the ceiling to catch the signs for “Transfer”. The entrance of the security queue was indicated by a large standing sign placed beside an unassuming door.
Image gallery: Transiting through Tan Son Nhat International Airport visually
First Impressions of Tan Son Nhat International Airport
It was my first time setting foot in Vietnam, and of course at their major airport.
My first impression of Tan Son Nhat International Airport was mixed. Infrastructure wise, it looked “regional”, quite unbefitting for an international airport of such status. The aircon was turned down, so the entire terminal was warm. There was a lingering stench of stale urine and cigarette smoke.
However, the terminal was small and simple. It made navigating the airport pretty easy. In other words, lounge hopping to fully utilise my business class ticket was easy peasy.
Lotus Lounge in Tan Son Nhat International Airport
Although Vietnam Airlines is based in Hanoi, it operated 2 premium lounges in Ho Chi Minh’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Vietnam Airlines had given their airline lounges rather unimaginative names. Lotus Lounge 1, the “original” one, and Lotus Lounge 2, the newer but smaller sister lounge. The former was at the centre of the terminal, right after the airport’s central immigration and security. Lotus Lounge 2 was just several gates away.
Getting to Lotus Lounge 1
Despite its “central location”, it took me quite a while to find Lotus Lounge 1. There was literally no indication of where the lounge was located. Neither the terminal’s map (both in the terminal and online) nor the airlines’ website contained any information on how to get to the lounge.
Thanks to one sole signage, I was led to the lift leading to the lounge which was indeed right after the immigration and security. A little sticker by the lift button told me the lounge was at level 3. After stepping out of the lift, I was met with a vast public food hall with no indication whatsoever of the whereabouts of the lounge. It was after a little bit of wandering around that I saw the signage bearing Vietnam Airlines’ distinct colour. After crossing the food court, a Saigon Cafe, a massage shop and a short corridor, I finally arrived at Vietnam Airlines’ flagship lounge at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
Staff and Seating
All efforts had not gone wasted. The staff at the reception received me warmly and answered my queries regarding the shower facilities and Lotus Lounge 2. In fact, he recommended I drop by the other lounge, as it was nearer to my gate.
Lotus Lounge 1, being the larger of the 2, was designed like a garden cafe. There were “booth seats” at the window which looked like pavilions. Other than that, there were seating for dining as well as lounging.
Food and Beverages
The F&B counter hugged the inner perimeter of the lounge. Near the entrance, the beverage section provided hot and cold drinks like coffee, tea and soft drinks, on top of a selection of alcoholic drinks.
Further in, we had the pastries and snacks, followed by the hot food. The latter consisted of mainly Vietnamese food, which I believed was tweaked to suit international taste buds. However, they were great for me to experience local cuisine. The carbs were sticky rice, which was a bit like the Cantonese Lor Mai Kai (Glutinous Rice with Chicken), albeit denser. I loved the generous serving of fried shallots topped with the dish. There was also steamed chicken, fried tofu and a pastry like Fried Puff (which contained Chinese sausage and egg) among the offerings. The spread was decent, considering that it was already near midnight.
Vibes
Like the rest of the terminal, the lounge’s aircon was weak. It took me quite a while to cool down. Unfortunately, the lounge didn’t have chairs that were suitable for those who wanted to catch forty winks.
I had also wanted to go for a shower closer to my departure time. However, the crowd grew and so did the shower queue. Apparently, it was on a first come first serve basis, with no formal queue management system. I decided to drop by Lotus Lounge 2 to try my luck, since the staff told me it had shower facilities too.
Finding Lotus Lounge 2
Lotus Lounge 2 was waaay easier to find, even though it was further from the customs check. Its entrance was near Gate 18, which was on the right after clearing the immigration. As the entrance was right off the main thoroughfare of the terminal, it was hard to miss it. The actual lounge was 1 level down from the entrance. One could take the lift, or walk down the stairs like a royalty making his entrance to the decorated lounge below.
Shower Facilities
Immediately upon checking in, the friendly staff led me to the shower room. Like the larger lounge, they only had 1 shower room on a first come first served basis. I was lucky that it was available when I reached it!
The compact shower room was already stocked with toiletries, towels and hair dryer. What I liked about the shower was its strong pressure with easy to adjust hot water. On the flip side, the shower room lacked a place to place my bag (I had to put it in the sink). If they had a stool or bench, I could also dry my feet and put on my shoes more easily.
Vibes
Decor wise, Lotus Lounge 2 adopted the same colour palette as Lounge 1. Where the latter felt more youthful, the darker tones of Lotus Lounge 2 added a hint of royalty. It could also have been the effect of entering the lounge from a higher floor and overlooking its entirety.
The food and beverage options were also similar across both lounges, making it even more difficult to decide which lounge is better. Where Lounge 1 had comfortable seatings (some tables in Lounge 2 even had stools), Lounge 2 had stronger aircon. With their own strengths, you only need to choose which lounge is nearer to your boarding gate.
Arriving into Nagoya Airport
Our flight landed in Nagoya at the break of dawn. Nagoya was deep in winter and the sky was cloudy. Nagoya Chubu Centrair International Airport, a single runway airport, is halfway between Tokyo and Osaka. The airport terminal sported a pier that runs near the middle of the runway. On that pier was a rooftop viewing gallery that offered a superb view of every airplane taking off and landing into the airport. I thought anyone passing through the airport should drop by this gem of a spot!
Parting Words
Overall, my flight on Vietnam Airlines from Singapore to Nagoya, via Ho Chi Minh, was a mixed bag of experience. I could say my negative experiences were mainly due to bad decisions made by the airline, while the cabin crew were doing their best to make the best of what they had.
The Lotus Lounges at Ho Chi Minh City’s airport were well designed and offered great food. Neither of them outshone the other, so visiting either of them depended on the location of your gates.
Flying to Japan via Vietnam took twice the time taken than on a non stop flight from Singapore. I would say the only compelling reason for this detour would only be a much cheaper airfare. But perhaps if a layover was thrown into the mix, the idea would be sweeter.
I’m open to taking Vietnam Airlines again, but not their Business Class. The latter just wasn’t worth the price tag. Till then, stay wanderlust!
All photos and videos were taken using Google Pixel 7 Pro, and edited with Google Photos.
