There are many really great ways to fly into Vietnam. I mulled over the decision for days, but ultimately decided on Vietnam Airlines 787-9 business class.
After an amazing 5 hour flight from Tokyo / Narita to Ho Chi Minh City, I can say with confidence that (even though it was my #1 choice right from the get go) I spent far too long agonizing over the decision.
There isn’t much else that would’ve been that comfortable, delicious, and memorable. Sometimes you just gotta trust your dorky AvGeek instincts.
VN301
Tokyo, Narita (NRT) – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (SGN)
Thursday, August 29, 2024
Aircraft: 787-9
Registration: VN-A866
Duration: 5 hours 18 minutes
Seat: 4K (Business Class)
My full review of Vietnam Airlines 787-9 business class from Tokyo to Ho Chi Minh City
Visiting Vietnam has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember, so arriving in the most fancy-pants way possible was a fairly hard requirement. Doing it on the flag carrier – in business class – seemed most appropriate.
Arrival at Terminal 1 / Narita Airport
Vietnam Airlines operates out of T1 at NRT (along with all of the other SkyTeam airlines). With a scheduled departure time at 9:30 AM, I figured arriving at 7 AM would be plenty safe. It was. And totally stress-free!
The benefit of being first, of course, is having enough time to check out the departures hall. T1 here at NRT is a pretty fantastic place to be a long journey IMHO. It just reeks of “let’s f’n go somewhere fun!”
You won’t go anywhere until they open the security checkpoints though. That happens at 7:30 AM, so don’t arrive too early.
Speaking of lounging, all Vietnam Airlines business class passengers at Tokyo Narita get complementary access to the Narita Premier Lounge (located on level 2 in the rotunda). I popped in for a quick bite to eat, but didn’t stick around. It was more fun hanging out in the main terminal.
The boarding process
I was actually having so much fun loitering around the innards of T1 that I missed the initial announcement for the boarding process. When I finally arrived back at the gate, the business class boarding process had long been finished. I was in no rush though. Being perfectly content to hold back (normie style) is underrated IMHO.
Seat overview
Business class on the Vietnam Airlines 787-9 consists of 28 seats in a typical 1-2-1 layout. Colors are muted and calming. Everything is spotless. It’s not completely mind-blowing though – these are the very same seats that you’ll find on a wide variety of other airlines.
Everything you would expect in a modern business class seat is included (if you consider 110V electrical outlets and a USB-A charging port “modern”). The bright reading light, high tech remote control for the video entertainment system, and the seat control panel with awfully tempting buttons is some solid 2020s sh*t for sure.
Amenities
Honestly? I wasn’t expecting a full amenity kit. The slippers, noise canceling headphones, and hot towel service was expected (and very much appreciated). They came by offering a pre-departure drink as well, but I declined. I’m such a curmudgeon.
The departure
Congested airspace around NRT resulted in us sitting on the gate an extra 18 minutes before pushback. It was 9:48 AM by the time they got us on our way. Maybe I should’ve accepted that pre-departure drink…
It took a total of 14 minutes to taxi from the gate to the threshold of runway 16R. The weather wasn’t all that great, but at least it wasn’t as bad as the last time I departed Narita Airport (in Starlux Airlines A350-900 business class).
In-flight entertainment
Once you extract / unlatch the video screen from the seat (it’s a fairly convoluted process), you’ll be happy to know that it’s a surprisingly good in-flight entertainment system.
The user interface is very modern and easy to navigate. The catalog of movies and TV shows is alright. Nothin’ fancy – but still above average compared to other airlines in the region.
The only thing that could’ve made this better was Bluetooth connectivity for my AirPods. It wasn’t a dealbreaker though. The headphones they provide are legit.
The meal service
The food on this flight was better than expected. Everything seemed fresh, professionally prepared, and was well presented. It wasn’t the best food I’ve ever eaten in business class, but it was probably the most I’ve ever consumed while sitting in an airplane seat of any kind. It just kept coming!
They kicked things off with a fresh bowl of snack mix and a drink. This being a SANspotter review, the picture of a fizzy Coke Zero (with lip grease on the rim of the glass they served it in) was inevitable.
This first dish was also served with an assortment of Japanese pickles and other little doodads:
The eel was prepared to perfection IMHO. And in true Japanese form, it was served with a bowl of steamed rice and miso soup.
Dessert (as if I had any room left for it) consisted of a plate of cheese with assorted fruits AND a bowl of matcha ice cream with caramel sauce. Delish (like a mofo).
Seat and cabin comfort
The business class seats on the 787-9 are admittedly a bit overkill for a 5.5 hour flight between NRT and SGN. They are hellaciously comfortable in a lie flat position though – so don’t be surprised if you find yourself craving a nap even if you’re not exactly sleepy.
My only real complaint about sleeping in these seats? They’re a little narrow – which may be a problem for anyone who flops around like a fish when they sleep (like me).
At some point during your nap, nature will call to relieve yourself of that 3000 calorie excess. Thankfully, the lavatory is fairly basic and distraction free (which will get you back to napping ASAP):
The arrival into Ho Chi Minh City
They did it! Despite our late departure from NRT, our arrival into SGN was exactly on time (1:30pm). They didn’t have to do that. I was having a pretty good time in seat 4K, thank you very much.
As if this experience couldn’t get any better, we deplaned via a set of air stairs from the mid cabin door. If you can manage to get down the stairs without tripping and falling flat on your face, the views of the 787-9 you just flew in on will be epic:
Pros and cons
Business class on the Vietnam Airlines 787-9 just may be one of my favorite intra-Asia flight experiences yet. On top of everything that you just saw, the cabin crew was beyond phenomenal. It’s gonna be really hard for me to think about some bad things to say about it, but here we go…
Pros
- The seats are designed for long haul comfort (which is a huge benefit considering that they use the 787-9’s for mostly intra-Asia regional routes).
- In-flight entertainment is surprisingly robust for an airline of this size.
- Food quantity! You will not arrive at your destination hungry. You just won’t.
Cons
- The seats are a little narrow. They’re going to be a little snug for anyone of size.
- It’s an older style seat as well (nowhere near as flashy as EVA Air 787-9 business class).
- No USB-C charging ports? That’s all I got…
David
You should try either Cathay Pacific a35K(has a fantastic economy class product) or Air China’s 747-8i(only operates JFK-PEK) Nice review!
Scott (SANspotter)
Thanks! Yup, both are on my wishlist. Trying the Korean Air 747-8 a couple weeks ago has definitely lit a fire under my rear end to fly on more of them – it impressed me more than I thought it would. Hopefully I’ll be able to tackle both Air China and Lufthansa within the next year or so.
ben
would you please try condors a330-900neo service from frankfurt to portland oregon it is currently the longest flight rom pdx
Scott (SANspotter)
You really want me to fly through PDX, don’t you? 🙂 Condor A339 business class is on my to-do list, but I can’t guarantee that it will be out of (or into) Portland. It’s just a matter of how/where I can get the best deal.