Review of Vietnam Airlines flight from Bangkok to Da Nang in Business

Intro

Checking out of Le Meridien in Bangkok was an early one due to our scheduled 5:05 am departure out of Don Mueang. Surprisingly, this was my first time flying out of DMK airport, even though I have been to Bangkok tens of times. 

Vietnam Airlines was a new airline for me, and I found it to be quite decent overall. For a short flight, I couldn't have asked for much better. Especially considering the cost of the ticket. 

Routing

This is part 2 of the routing. 

How I Booked

The only direct flight at the time, which had business class, was the morning departure from Bangkok to Da Nang. At the time of writing this, the route has been discontinued, unfortunately, most likely due to lack of demand. 

The total came out to 204.70$ per person one-way. Not bad at all for a flight of an hour and a half. Considering this included lounge access, I wasn't complaining at all. If you happen to find space, Vietnam Airlines can be booked through Delta and Skyteam. 

Check-In

We arrived at Don Muaeng at about 3:00 in the morning. Vietnam Airlines uses Terminal 1 at Don Muaeng, so keep that in mind. 

The line for check-in wasn't long, thanks to having priority access with our business class ticket. Another added perk of flying business class😁.

An agent handed over a lounge access card for the Coral Lounge

Lounge

In comparison to other priority pass lounges, the Coral Lounge isn't that bad. With complementary food and drinks, plus comfortable seating, there are certainly worse ways to spend a couple of hours in an airport. However, without the likes of showers and having to walk outside the lounge to use the toilet, there are certainly better lounges.

Here are a couple of snaps

Boarding

We decided to head out from the lounge about 35 minutes before boarding, just in case it was a far walk. Turns out we got there just as group 1 was boarding, or as I should say, about 2 other people. 

Once onboard, the cabin crew was energetic at this hour, wishing us a good morning. Vietnam Airlines set the mood for Vietnam the second we stepped on board.

Originally, I found my assigned seat, 2C, for this flight. 

However, with just my mum and one other person in the 8-seat cabin, I opted to move over to 2F to get my own window. Funnily enough, when I travel with my mum, this is an ongoing trend. 

The Seat/Cabin

Interestingly, the aircraft assigned today was an Airbus A321neo with only two rows of business class. 

The seats are relatively basic, not too thick and with golden touches around them. 

I recommend selecting seats in the second row if possible, primarily due to the privacy. The legroom was more than adequate in row two.

Much like the recliners around the world, there was a button on the side to recline your seat. I found it to be decent for a short 10 minute nap. 

The one part of the seat that stood out to me was that the armrest was lifted to contain a secret compartment big enough for a 13-inch Macbook. I wish more airlines would do this as it would be wasted space if they didn't.

The modern tray table popped out from the other armrest. 

Overhead air vents as well!

In terms of amenities and IFE, we were only offered a blanket for this flight. The blanket wasn't too bad, and I managed to curl up in my two seats with it!

IFE entertainment is available to stream on your handheld devices (thanks to KevinDC for letting me know). However, the staff did not inform us of this (to my recollection). 

Departure

At 4:45 am, the cabin crew came around to offer each of us a pre-departure beverage. I opted for some water, and it was nice to see it served in glassware.

The captain came onto the PA at 4:55 am and informed us of our flight time of just over an hour and an early arrival into Da Nang.

At 4:58 am, we pushed back (7 minutes ahead of schedule). I guess Jamie Vardy was having a party in Bangkok🙃.

The airport was dead silent at this hour, and we were wheels up 10 minutes later at 5:08. 

Meal Service

Once we hit 10,000 feet, the cabin crew snapped into action to begin the meal service. I apprecaited how the curtains provided ample privacy to the economy class cabin. 

I settled in with my blanket while the FA took the meal orders.

A couple of minutes later, the Flight Attendant came around and laid out a beautiful tablecloth.

And that is when my beautiful breakfast was presented. Chicken and rice were among the options, as well as something egg-related. The presentation was as good as the food was; it was delightful!

The bread was one of the letdowns, unlike my recent Singapore Airlines flight and their garlic bread😳.

Arrival

At this moment, one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever witnessed came about. Due to the heavy rain beneath us, the light reflected off of the clouds, providing some gorgeous pictures. 

Just like that, we were on the descent, heck it's only a 527-mile flight, and we landed 20 minutes early into Da Nang on a miserable morning.

I had our e-visas already processed, and once we were off the plane, it took a matter of moments to be let through. If you ever cannot figure out E-visas, I highly recommend IVISA for this service, even if it is expensive.

Bags took about 10 minutes and we were met by our Four Seasons Da Nang driver (review coming very soon). Seeing as we were "pool villa guests", BMW SUV transfers were included in the cost. Talk about some service!

Luckily, Four Seasons allowed us to have an 8 am early check-in. Everything worked out perfectly! I'll add a tourism bonus of Vietnam in the next report! Thanks for reading! 

Also, apologies on not getting the landscape shots for this series as it was in my early days of flightreporting😒.