This trip, I had a mission to travel to Vietnam for work. I had been to Vietnam frequently that year, and my friends joked that I might have had a wife there since I had to go so often 😛 But the truth was, I was really going there to work. For this trip, I intended to fly with Thai Airways like I usually did, but unfortunately, their flights were all full. So, I had to resort to my second option, which was Vietnam Airlines, the local airline. The price of the round-trip ticket from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh was also friendly. Although I was a bit concerned about the service quality that might reflect the low price, I realized that I only needed to be on the plane for just an hour, so there wasn’t much to expect anyway. I quickly booked my ticket and was ready to travel!
The flight details are following;
ROUTE : BANGKOK (BKK) – HO CHI MINH (SGN)
FLIGHT : VN604 – VIETNAM AIRLINE
AIRCRAFT : AIRBUS A321
ETD : 14:25 PM (GMT+7)
ETA : 16:05 PM (GMT+7)
DURATION : 1 HOURS 40 MINUTES
CABIN : ECONOMY
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Starting with my arrival at Suvarnabhumi Airport at around 11:30 am (3 hours before the flight), I had already checked in online to avoid long queues. I could go straight to the online check-in counter to drop off my luggage. Vietnam Airlines opened its check-in counter and luggage drop-off service at row-L for Suvarnabhumi Airport.
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After complete luggage dropping and receiving the boarding pass, I went through the security check and immigration procedures as usual. Then, I had enough time to wander around and find something to eat before boarding the plane. At that time, I expected to only have a short one-hour flight with light food service on board, even if the airline was full-service. So, I thought it would be better to eat something to fill my stomachs beforehand. Today, I was boarding the plane at gate F2.
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After I had walked around and grabbed something to eat, about 45 minutes before the flight departure time, I proceeded to the gate-F2 to board the plane as indicated on my boarding pass. When I arrived at the gate, the plane was already parked and waiting for me.
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After waiting for a short while, I was called to board the plane according to my assigned seat position. The flight was almost full, with about 90% of the passengers being Vietnamese. There were very few Thai and foreign passengers on board.
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The seating arrangement inside the plane was 2-2 for Business Class and 3-3 for Economy Class, typical of a Narrow Body/Single Aisle aircraft.
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For this aircraft model, there were no PTVs, only a central screen. There were limited entertainment options and magazines in the seat pocket. The seats were neither wide nor narrow. As someone who is 183 cm tall, I felt that my knees were almost touching the seat in front of me, but it was not a big deal as the flight was only one hour long. (If it were a longer flight, this type of seat might have caused some discomfort) 🙂
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Once all passengers boarded, the captain performed a pushback and took off from Bangkok on time.
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After the plane had taken off and the seatbelt sign was turned off, I began to explore the lavatory. Overall, it was clean and there was soap provided for hand washing. I also noticed an interesting technique employed – a tea bag was hung on the door to help absorb any unpleasant odors.
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Then, the flight attendant served a light snack, which was exactly as I expected – not enough to fill me up. The food consisted of a Caesar salad with fresh greens and Vietnamese-style pork stick, accompanied by a piece of fruit and a bun. There was only one option available, which is typical for short-haul flights like this. I have to say, the food did entertain the tongue. For drinks, they offered the usual options such as fruit juice, soft drinks, and tea or coffee. I enjoyed my snack while taking in the view from the window.
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After finishing my meal and drinks, the Cabin Crew began to collect the trays and prepare for descent to Tan Son Nhat Airport. They were efficient and quick. This airport was located almost in the heart of the city. Before landing, we could clearly see the view of Ho Chi Minh City.
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Next, the captain safely landed the plane and parked it at the designated spot, but today it was a bus gate, so we had to take a bus to the passenger terminal.
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Upon entering the airport building, I went through the immigration process. Here, whether you are Vietnamese or a foreigner, you have to queue up for immigration with the officers. There are no automated machines , which makes the queue here longer than it should be. Anyone connecting a flight here should allocate extra time. After passing the immigration check (which took about 20-30 minutes), I finally collected my baggage. Today, I picked up my luggage at belt number 1.
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After receiving my luggage, I arranged for a car to go to the hotel and rest. Typically, when I travel to Vietnam, I find it convenient to use the ride-sharing app, Grab, to call a taxi because it is convenient, much cheaper than at home, and there are no problems with being cheated. Also, I don’t have to spend time communicating with the taxi driver (most Vietnamese people don’t speak English).
Once arriving at the hotel, I rested to prepare for the next day’s work, and I’ll end this flight review here. Overall, I didn’t have any major complaints about Vietnam Airlines. Their pricing, service, and punctuality were all acceptable. It’s a good option for those who want to fly full service to Vietnam or to other destinations. Personally, I would give this airline a score of 7.5 out of 10.
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WRITTEN BY : SHIPY SIWARIT TIASUWATTISETH
Shipy-Ship 