BOOKING INFORMATION
I paid extra for priority check-in ($5.00 USD), 30kg (66lbs) checked baggage allowance ($13.79 USD), and premium seat assignment ($4.00 USD). You could also pay extra to be towards the front of the place (any seat from row 1-27 requires an extra charge). I booked 91 days before the flight and paid $77.00 USD in total for the ticket. I believe there is a sweet spot for these domestic Asian flights to ensure the flight isn't cancelled or scheduled departure time isn't amended while still being able to select a good seat assignment and get a good price. I felt like three months might just be that sweet spot.
CHECK-IN / WALK TO LOUNGE
Money well spent to avoid a queue of probably 100 waiting for about 8 check-in stations. I waited behind another couple and spent a total of five minutes checking-in. Also, the security line moved pretty quickly.
LE SAIGONNAIS BUSINESS LOUNGE
Not high on design, not very good food, but at least it's an option to kill time when making a short hop domestic flight. I especially noted the absence of hard alcohol at the bar and the fridge contained warm drinks. We got a bowl of phở bò that wasn't too flavorful and some Vietnamese egg rolls that were cold to the touch. I got a Saigon Special beer and had to use a glass and ice to cool it down.
WALK TO THE GATE
We hit up Popeye's to see if there was anything we were missing back home. The red boat chicken and lemon grass chicken sucked but the fries were better than what we have back in Houston. Our boarding gate was moved from the jetway to a tarmac boarding after our flight was delayed.
Ho Chi Minh City Spotting
Lots of Vietjet Air, Jetstar Pacific, Vasco, and Vietnam Airlines spotting opportunites. The Biman Bangladesh Airlines Boeing 777-200ER is about seventeen years old and may be out of commission now. I also spotted a Douglas DC-3 and a former Vietnam Airlines Tupolev Tu-134AK mothballed but too far away to be well photographed. I really liked the photo of the Vasco ATR72-500 that I shot taxiing as we had just climbed a couple hundred feet at most; the photo nearly looks like it was a tilt-shift (miniaturized) edit.
CABIN AND SEAT
Vietjet Air creates a mini premier cabin atmosphere by dropping drapes and extending a curtain behind the third row but the seat pitch is still just 29 inches; so it's not an option for a long flight.
MENU AND MEAL
You could pre-order Singaporean noodles, fried rice, spaghetti, or crab and shrimp glass noodles. You could also order from the large menu on board. We skipped out on the meal though.
DA NANG SPOTTING
Upon landing, I caught a four year-old Korean Air Airbus A330-300 heading for Seoul, a little behind schedule. A stylish Gulfstream G650 was taxiing as well. An eight year-old Bombardier Global 6000 was parked on the tarmac. The tails lines up at the gates were only domestic. Again the most interesting spots weren't very good pictures; I saw two Vietnamese Air Force Sukhoi Su-22s and Mil Mi-8s (I think).
ARRIVAL AND WALK OUT
Pretty easy to track from where the bus took us to the baggage claim. In order to depart the airport we had to show our baggage receipts and once outside, it was pretty difficult to find the taxi stand as it wasn't clearly marked.
