It is fair to say that Vietnam does not have a government tourism bureau and that the national airline, Vietnam Airlines, fulfills this mission. This time, I participated in an inspection tour organized by Vietnam Airlines that departed from Japan and visited Phu Quoc and Ho Chi Minh City.
Departure from Narita Airport after checking baggage at the check-in counter in the North Wing of Terminal 1. Until departure, I relaxed at the NARITA PREMIER LOUNGE, a shared airline lounge in Satellite 1.
A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 aircraft parked at spot 22. It was VN301 bound for Ho Chi Minh City, departing at 9:30. I was allowed to enter the aircraft one step ahead as it was ready for departure, and was greeted at the L1 door by two flight attendants with big smiles on their faces.
Business class consists of 28 herringbone, fully flat seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. The aircraft this time did not have premium economy class, but only economy class, with 283 seats in a 9-abreast 3-3-3 configuration, for a total of 311 seats. The outbound flight was a daytime flight, so it was not necessary to get a good night’s sleep, but I was able to relax as much as I wanted.
I was assigned seat 7A, the last row on the left side of the window in business class, and as I sat comfortably waiting for the flight to depart, the flight attendant brought me a welcome drink. There were three kinds of drinks: champagne, water, and apple juice.
It is somewhat unfortunate that the screen of the personal monitor faces at an angle when stowed, so it is not a good viewing environment during takeoff and landing, but as I settled into the comfortable seat, the aircraft took off from Runway A at Narita Airport. A short time later, the electronic shades dimmed. It was time to start enjoying the in-flight experience. Enjoy a movie on the noise-canceling headphones with the Vietnam Airlines logo. The lineup includes movies with Japanese subtitles and Japanese films, which will make the flight seem shorter.
Now, the in-flight meal service began. Before takeoff, they asked me what I wanted to order, and I chose “Western food”. As for the menu, it varies depending on the season, time of day, and route. The main dish was sauteed pork. It was very tasty with condensed flavor. By the way, the Japanese main dish was deep-fried chicken with starchy sauce. After that, they brought a cheese plate and we selected our favorite cheese. I enjoyed the aftermath of the meal.
After dinner, we relaxed and watched a movie. Soon the descent began. The ride is comfortable, so it doesn’t take long.
While approaching Ho Chi Minh City Tan Son Nhat International Airport, we were able to see the construction site of the new airport, Long Thanh International Airport, scheduled to open in 2025. It is under construction in Long Thanh District, Dong Nai Province, a suburb of Ho Chi Minh City, and after its completion, the gateway for international flights will be this Long Thanh International Airport, while Tan Son Nhat will be an airport for domestic flights only.
In the first phase of construction through 2025, the airport will operate with one terminal and one 4,000-meter-long runway, but in the future it aims to become a huge hub airport with four runways and four terminals.
When the Saigon River and the city of Ho Chi Minh come into view, the landing will finally be reached. This is where you connect to a domestic flight. After entering Vietnam, we picked up our baggage and went to the domestic terminal. After checking baggage again and passing through security check, we went to “Le Saigonese Lounge” to wait for boarding to start for flight VN1829 to Phu Quoc.
Flight VN1829 to Phu Quoc was an hour-long flight on an Airbus A321, also in business class. Finally, we arrived at Phu Quoc International Airport.
Phu Quoc Island is a triangular island in the southern part of Vietnam, famous for its clean sandy beaches, beach resorts, and fresh seafood. The best season for Phu Quoc Island is said to be from December to March. The dry season is from November to April, and it is a little regrettable that we visited Phu Quoc in late August, which was the rainy season. However, although the weather was certainly not spectacular, we were still able to enjoy the resort atmosphere, so we landed on the island with great expectations.
© Source travel watch
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