Background A few months back, while in a group chat, a friend proposed that a trip be organized for those interested to go vacation together. After a few discussions here and there, we decided on a trip to Ho Chi Minh City, more affectionately known to me as Saigon. A search in internet landed us an incredibly affordable return fare from Vietnam Airlines, so Saigon it was.
Online Check in For flights out of Kuala Lumpur, it was possible to perform online check in 24 hours before departure. Exactly 24 hours before our scheduled departure, I logged into the website only to find out that almost all the seats were taken, with only 9 seats scattered separately from front to back open for 8 of us to check in. I wonder if all the seats were taken up by travel agents, or the airline intentionally block off those seats. Anyway, we selected those that were available, and see what we could do at the airport the next day.
Check in We arrived at the airport approximately 2.5 hours before departure, and we straight to the counters of Vietnam Airlines.
Check in counters for VN684
The agent was able to make changes to our seating arrangements, so everybody was happy. With luggage tagged and boarding passes issued, we headed straight to immigration and shuttle train that took us to the satellite terminal of KLIA. Still with plenty of time to spare, we took breakfast at Delifrance, where else since we were heading to a French ex-colony, until it was about time to head to the gates.
Breakfast before boarding
Boarding We were at the gate in time to witness the arrival of inbound aircraft from Saigon. Turnaround was swiftly performed, and it was then our turn to board the aircraft for the short journey to Saigon.
Arrival of inbound aircraft
Once boarding was completed, we were promptly pushed back and made our way to the active runway.
Getting ready to go
Flight There was no other traffic at that moment, so we did a rolling take off and shot straight up to the sky. A slight right turn after departure allowed those sitting on the right side a great landscape view of KLIA.
Taxi to take off
Barely 20 minutes after takeoff, meal carts rolled out to begin lunch service. Passengers had a choice of fish with potato or chicken with rice as main, complimented with ham salad, fresh fruit, and bread roll. Additional drinking water was served when the trays were collected after consumption.
Chicken with rice
Fish with potato
Chicken was the better option, as the fish was overcooked and rather chewy.
Not long after meal service was completed, we began to make landfall at the Southern tip of Vietnam, with the vast plain of Mekong River visible outside of window. We gradually made our descent, and landed at SGN right on schedule.
Reaching Vietnam airspace
Descent and approach to SGN
Landing and taxi to gate
Disembarkation Our aircraft parked at a remote gate in the domestic side of terminal. We then took the bus to the international terminal. Immigration took a while, with questions being asked about purpose in Vietnam. Eventually, all of us made it through to the baggage carousel to pick up our respective luggage to begin our 4D3N in Saigon.
Aircraft at remote gate
Caught on camera
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Verdict
Vietnam Airlines
6.8/10
Cabin7.0
Cabin crew7.0
Entertainment/wifi6.0
Meal/catering7.0
Kuala Lumpur - KUL
7.6/10
Efficiency7.5
Access8.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness8.0
Ho Chi Minh City - SGN
7.0/10
Efficiency7.0
Access7.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness7.0
Conclusion
Vietnam Airlines is a solid airline. Take in account the incredibly low price we paid for the tickets, there wasn’t really anything that could be complained. All in all it was an enjoyable experience.
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1 Comments
The meal looks pretty decent on this sector.
Overall it looks like VN offered a solid flight-experience for a solid price tag.
Have a good one, see you!
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