the hard product

Vietnam Airlines 787 Dreamliner runs a 28 business class seater plane non-stop from Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh. You’ll find the familiar Dreamliner reverse herringbone configuration, with a comfortable 42 inch seat pitch, fully lie flat beds and direct aisle access for all passengers.

The cabin feels bright and airy, aided by the lack of overhead bins above the middle seats. The colour palette can only be described as 50 Shades of Olive, but not as saucy an ambience as that moniker may conjure.

The seat has a good amount of storage space on either side of your seat, including a dedicated spot for your water bottle, and a nook underneath the foot rest for your shoes and blanket when not in use (side note: if you’re taking the A350, it’s basically the same hard product with one CRUCIAL difference – the foot rest on the A350 has been strangely designed and is frustratingly flimsy. It will flip up if you’re not sufficiently reclined and drove me a little batty for the 13 hour leg onwards to LHR…)

At your seat you’ll find a blanket, mattress topper, pillow and slippers. These all seemed cosy enough, although I did find a few stray hairs on my pillow which was fairly offputting. Problem solved by laying my scarf across it. I do appreciate slippers provided on planes, particularly long haul as no one should be going to the plane bathroom in just your socks! (That’s not water on the floor.)

You’ll also find a pretty basic amenity kit with socks, an eyemask, hairbrush, earplugs, toothbrush and toothpaste, and Payot branded lip balm and moisturiser. There’s also a handy set of “please wake me up for meal / duty free” stickers for the nappy-yet-snacky amongst us (title of my memoir).

The in-flight entertainment was a low point – while the screen itself is ok (15 inch, flips out when in use) there were only about 5 recent Hollywood movies and 1-2 TV series options to choose from. Luckily I had my loaded-up tablet with me once I’d exhausted a few craptastic movies and the back catalogues of nature documentaries, and made good use of the seat’s USB charging point. Note that Vietnam Airlines are also infamous for pretty poor headphones, even in business class. You’ll find a standard plastic non-noise cancelling set so BYO (don’t forget an adaptor!).

the soft product

There is a lot to love about the meal service and friendly flight attendants onboard Vietnam Airlines. After a pre-takeoff welcome drink and we were in the air, the FAs came around to take beverage and lunch orders. I decided to stick with (a variety) of wines, but there were a few interesting Signature drink and cocktail options including the “Hello Vietnam” (next time!).

As this was a daytime flight, the main meal service was lunch which was a 4 course affair comprising an appetizer, soup, main course, dessert and a selection of breads. I didn’t get a picture of it but the garlic bread was INCREDIBLE. Choose this every time!

A pre-meal Bloody Mary with nuts and wasabi peas to kick things off…

…followed by tasty and hot cauliflower soup, delicious and fresh prawn and tuna salad and garlic bread! The garlic bread was standout, but the soup and prawn salad were also very good. I was worried the cherry tomatoes in the salad would be squishy and tasteless but was pleasantly surprised by their crisp juiciness.

Proper metal cutlery served rolled up in a white napkin. Beef ribs for mains (very tender but nothing to write home about) with polenta, carrots and broccolini in the side, and then a light salmon and avocado salad before landing.

The portions I’d say were spot on – some may find them too small, but I liked being able to try everything and not waddle off the flight feeling stuffed.

final notes

Overall, this was a very enjoyable flight and a great way to get affordably in style from Melbourne (or Sydney) to South East Asia. I’ll be using this again to connect to the A350 from SGN-LHR – although you should be aware there is an 8 hour layover in SGN Airport.

Note on the Plaza Premium Lounge in MEL Airport – this is the lounge you’ll have access to in Melbourne flying Vietnam Business Class. It’s very basic, but at least had a decent hot breakfast.

Note on the Lotus Lounge in SGN Airport – this is the lounge you’ll have access to in Ho Chi Minh if you’re connecting through to another Business class flight. I spent 8+ hours here but found the time went relatively quickly after a good shower, then kicking back watching shows on my tablet and trying the various food on offer. Highlight was the pho, with generous DIY toppings!