It’s always fun to ride on new airlines. For me, that’s today with Vietnam Airlines on their 787-9 in Business Class between LHR and SGN. I’ve also never traveled between Europe and Asia before. I’ve been to both Europe and Asia lots of times, just never from one directly to the other, so that’s very cool. Vietnam Airlines uses their 787-9 on long haul flights to Europe from both SGN and HAN.
I’ve been looking forward to this trip for a while, and business class on the Vietnam Airlines 787-9 didn’t disappoint.
Bottom Line: The business class seats on Vietnam’s 787 are a little worn, but are still very comfortable. The service was impeccable and extremely polished. The in flight business class meals were excellent and large too. A weak spot is the in flight entertainment, but on an overnight flight it wasn’t the end of the world. All in, I really liked Vietnam Airlines 787-9 Business Class, let’s get into the full review.
Vietnam Airlines LHR Check-in
I hate Heathrow. I really just dislike this airport, not sure what or why, I just dislike it. It’s a shame because London is one of my all time favorite cities. We’re running a little late today, we arrived here about 75 minutes before departure. Vietnam Airlines uses LHR Terminal 3, we checked in at the counter with our passports and Vietnamese Visa’s and got our boarding passes. She also told us we could use the lounge and fast pass security.
Vietnam Airlines Business Class passengers can use Fast Track security but unfortunately we don’t have time to visit the lounge.
As soon as we passed security, the gate information boards were telling us to head to the gate. Terminal 4 at LHR services some pretty interesting airlines and destinations. Large international airports are fun like that.
LHR Airport Terminal 4 Observation Deck
While walking to the gate we passed by the View Heathrow Observation Deck and decided to head up and check it out. We had 10 minutes to spare.
I wouldn’t say the observation deck here at Heathrow Terminal 4 is amazing, but it’s a nice little area to see a few planes. I do wish it wasn’t very hot up here though.
Got to see a few planes taking off.
And our Vietnam 787-9 waiting at the gate.
Vietnam 787-9 Boarding
Boarding was a little hectic but we finally made our way to the front of the line. I’m not sure I ever heard a call for business class but we boarded pretty late in the process.
Vietnam Airlines 787-9 Business Class First Impressions
The Vietnam Airlines 787-9 Business Class is a relatively standard cabin. Nothing ground breaking here, there are 28 seats in 7 rows in a 1-2-1 arrangement. The seats are reverse herringbone configuration with each seat slightly facing away from the aisle. Vietnam Airlines does’t have overhead bins in the center section so while there’s a little less overhead bin space, the cabin seems larger.
We found our seats on the right hand side of the Vietnam 787. Already in place was a seat pad. We stowed our bags in the overhead bins.
A pillow and blanket were in the seat waiting for us.
As one would expect in a lie flat seat, the leg room is very good. I will say the colors Vietnam uses are pretty drab. Just a lot of beige.
Onboard the Vietnam 787 we were first given towels. Then drinks were offered. I didn’t partake though.
Vietnam Airlines 787-9 Business Class Seat Features
Over my right shoulder was a reading light, remote for the in seat entertainment, and a USB power port.
Below that are the controls for the seat.
Lower down the seat, below the side table was a universal power port along with a small storage space.
I was really glad to see overhead vents on the Vietnam 787, they are the crappy Boeing ones, but at least they exist. So many other airlines are removing them from business class.
Towards the aisle is a little storage cubby. Would be good for something like an eyeglass case or headphones.
And while other airlines are cutting in flight magazines, Vietnam Airlines has 4.
Vietnam Airlines Business Class Menu
While still on the ground, menus were distributed. A relatively simple menu that covered both the dinner service and breakfast.
The drinks menu wasn’t over the top, but was very serviceable. The flight attendants were great, super friendly and very bubbly.
Vietnam Airlines 787-9 Departure
The pilot made his welcome announcement and told us it would be a 12:35 flight down to Vietnam today.
We soon pushed back while the safety video was shown. Lots of ads before and after the safety presentation, little strange for a full service airline. Because the in seat screens pivot away for takeoff, the screen isn’t the most viewable thing, but there are others in the cabin.
As we taxied to the runway the flight attendant came around and took our meal orders along with a drink selection for after we takeoff.
LHR does have a huge range of airlines flying here. The diversity of aircraft and liveries is always fun to see so I guess that’s one good thing about Heathrow.
We made our way to the runway following a few other planes. The flight attendants took their seats and the cabin lights were dimmed.
We tookoff and it was a beautiful day for flying. This flight departs from London at 5pm.
England always looks so green. Sure it’s summertime now, but even in the winter it somehow always seems green from the air.
Once we tookoff, I released my in flight entertainment screen to check out the selection of movies and shows. Here’s where Vietnam Airlines is kinda weak, the collection of entertainment isn’t very good. I was able to find a few movies to watch, but none of them were anything I would watch had I not been on the flight.
I put my feet up and settled into my seat.
Vietnam Airlines 787-9 Business Class Dinner Service
Soon after takeoff the flight attendants came around with hot towels and table cloths.
Next, the flight attendants came around with table cloths. I like the arrangement of the tray tables here on Vietnam’s 787, they allow you to get out of the seat without folding it away.
I had asked for a beer as my drink. Next came a wasabi nut snack along with our drinks. I ordered a Bia Ha Noi, it’s pretty decent but I really liked the nuts. The peas though were rock hard.
The main screens in the cabin were showing the moving map.
Next trays with our salad, appetizer, and soup came out. The flight attendant came around with a selection of breads, I chose the garlic bread.
The salmon appetizer was really good.
I really wanted to steal the salt and pepper shakers to add to my collection, but I forgot.
After finishing my appetizers, my chosen entree arrived. I chose the grilled chicken and steamed rice. This was fantastic but a little messy. Not only was the portion huge, but the chicken was great. The turmeric did stain my fingers for like two days though.
After stuffing my face it was desert time, this started with fruit and there was a selection of chocolates and cakes.
I chose a small piece of chocolate to pair with my fruit. This whole meal was really great. Lots of food, the drinks kept coming, and the flight attendants were amazing. I really appreciated that the service was quick. There were no long pauses or waiting around. As soon as I finished a portion of the meal, the next plate came.
After dinner was cleared away bottles of water were distributed. I had a little bit of my beer left so I kept that too.
The cabin lights were dimmed as we settled into the rest of the flight. It did get a little bumpy and the seatbelt sign was turned on.
Vietnam Airlines Business Class Amenity Kit
An amenity kit was provided by Vietnam Airlines, slippers were also in each seat. It’s a nice touch that some airlines have started omitting.
Inside the Vietnam Airlines business class amenity kit were all the standard items and even a list of of those items.
Vietnam Airlines Business Class Lavatory
The lavatories on the Vietnam 787-9 were large enough to be comfortable. They were also very clean and well maintained throughout the flight.
There was also some greenery in the bathroom.
Vietnam Airlines Business Class Cabin Overnight
The Vietnam Airlines business class cabin was kept dark and quiet for this portion of the trip. On the Boeing 787 all of the windows were electronically dimmed.
Vietnam Airlines Business Class Bedding
Back into my seat fully reclined my seat and setup my bedding. I really like that Vietnam includes a seat topper. The pillow was very comfortable as was the comforter. I’m just not sure about their color choices, it’s just a lot of yellowish beige.
While sleeping(or attempting to sleep) on a plane, I usually put on the map display or turn the screen off completely. Otherwise I just get distracted and I’ll never fall asleep. I was able to get a good 5 hours of sleep. That’s pretty good for me on a plane.
About 2 hours away from SGN, the cabin lights were slowly brought on. I like that modern planes have the ability to change the color along with the brightness.
Vietnam Airlines Business Class Breakfast
As I was already awake, the flight attendants came around and asked if I’d like to eat breakfast. I have a hard time getting back to sleep anyway so I decided on the cold meats and cheese option.
Again another towel.
Then the meat and cheese plate along with yogurt and fruit. There was also bread from the basked but I forgot to get a picture. The flight attendants were so nice, when I finished the plate, they came by with another one.
Outside we were descending into Vietnam. The windows on the 787-9 were a little dimmed so we got to see the clouds and ground below without blinding the rest of the cabin.
Vietnam Airlines 787-9 Arrival into SGN
As we approached SGN the pilot came on and told us we’d be landing soon. There is some weather in the area so we’re having to circle for about 15 minutes. I folded away my entertainment screen and just watched out the window.
We crossed below the final layer of clouds and I finally got to see a good view of Vietnam.
Certainly looks like a hot and rainy day here in Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City.
And on the ground here in SGN.
Vietnam Arrivals
We landed at a bus gate here in SGN. Most of the airport uses bus gates even for large widebody planes. Outside there was a bus waiting to take us to the terminal. Business class passengers used a separate bus from economy.
But we all ended up at the same passport control. Vietnam requires an E-Visa for US passport holders, we had ours in hand. Some other passport holders can buy a visa on arrival from a separate counter. We passed through in about 15 minutes.
Vietnam Airlines Business Class LHR-SGN In Flight Timing
I’m always curious as to how flights progress. So in an effort to capture the flow of the flight here is the schedule of “activities” on the flight.
| Hour | Actitivity |
| 1 | Welcome, departure, meal order |
| 2 | Dinner |
| 3 | Dinner and Desert |
| 4 | Cabin Lights Dimmed |
| 5-10 | Cabin Lights off, quiet sleep time |
| 11 | Breakfast |
| 12 | Clean up, Arrival into SGN |
Vietnam Airlines 787-9 Business Class Final Thoughts
I wholly enjoyed Vietnam Airlines. From start to finish the experience was solid. The flight attendants were really just on top of their game. The Vietnam Airlines 787s are starting to show a little age and the business class product isn’t the most amazing, but the cabin was extremely clean. The cabin was also kept at a comfortable temperature, a rarity among Aisan airlines.
The dinner service was fantastic. The portion size was very large and my grilled chicken was delicious. It’s nice for plane food in business class to be filling and enjoyable instead of pretentious. I really wish more airlines would keep it simple like Vietnam did. One area where Vietnam could improve is the in seat entertainment selection. It’s somewhat limited, maybe the Vietnamese selection is better than the English options.
With just over 12 hours in flight, I liked the timing of service. We departed from LHR at 5pm and arrived right around noon into SGN. I liked the long period of time to sleep after dinner then a nice quick breakfast about 2 hours before arrival.
At the end of the day, I would recommend Vietnam Airlines Business Class to anyone. I had a great trip.
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