You’ve just booked your flight of business class on Vietnam Airlines from San Francisco to Ho Chi Min City and you’re wondering how’s the flight. We’ll show you next. Getting to Southeast Asia nonstop in the United States can be a bit challenging. However, Vietnam Airlines does offer non-stop from SFO to Ho Chi Min City currently four times a week.
If you are looking for a comprehensive SFO to SGN on Vietnam Airlines review, here is what you need to know about the experience, from the lounges to the seat and the service.
Pre-Flight: Visas and Lounges
After a quick stay at the airport Hilton Hotel, I was off to SFO to check in for my flight. With a quick check of my passport and my needed visa, I dropped my check bags and was off to the lounge.
Currently, for those holding a US passport, you will need a visa to enter Vietnam. My processing took approximately 5 days once I submitted my application. Make sure you’re using the correct website. There are different services that can come up if you Google Vietnam Visa.
Holding the Priority Pass card that comes with my Capital 1 Venture X card, I was able to do a bit of lounge hopping at SFO.
The Golden Gate Lounge
First up was the Golden Gate Lounge. Access is only permitted for certain hours for those holding the Priority Pass. I did find the lounge a rather bit small. However, the offerings were probably the best of the three lounges I visited here. I did enjoy the pasta and self-service food bar. Out of those two lounges, I think the Golden Gate was just a little bit better because, let’s face it, the pasta was pretty good.
The China Airlines Lounge
Next up, Vietnam Airlines business class passengers can enjoy access to the China Airlines lounge. Out of the three, this was my least favorite lounge. It felt cold and very sterile. I felt the offerings were a little limited and they did have a noodle bar. However, there was only one selection available to choose from. But the China Airlines lounge just felt really sterile.
The Club at SFO
So, we’re going to go to lounge number three now. We’re going to head over to the club and see if we can get in. The line might be a little bit long, but let’s go check it out. Welcome to the club at SFO. This is another priority pass option for those traveling out of SFO. This is a newer lounge and has a great space and setup. Drinks here are really nice and the bar area is well stocked.
Now, I do feel the food offerings here are a bit on the weaker side. However, I do think it’s a great place to visit. Now, do keep in mind though, there can often be a wait, so plan that into your departure time. This is similar to how you must plan ahead if you are facing Global Entry No Appointments when trying to speed up your airport process.
The Flight Experience
After my SFO lounge hopping adventure, I was off to my gate. I boarded the jet and then took my seat.
The Crew and Amenities
Now, it’s important that I say the best part of this flight was the in-flight crew. They were spectacular. During boarding, they were in the aisle helping passengers throughout the flight, and their service is what made this flight.
As I was settling in, I was offered a welcome drink, and at my seat was a Samsonite amenity kit, water bottle, pillow, blanket, and slippers.
The Menu Situation
During boarding, they were taking meal orders. However, after many failed attempts at seeing if they could offer pre-order or even seeing the menu, things here, they got a little bit weird. There was only one menu to be had, and the flight attendant kept it under close protection. So, just know that pre-ordering your meal or even seeing the menu online isn’t an option. However, after a little bit of convincing, I was able to take a picture of the menu for the flight.
The Seat
This flight is operated on their A350 aircraft and offers a 1-2-1 seating configuration and a reverse herring bone seat. I selected 3A for this flight.
In-Flight Dining: SFO to SGN on Vietnam Airlines Review
Right after takeoff, the crew began the meal service.
The Appetizer: First up, a hot towel, followed by one tray with the appetizer and dessert. I selected the smoked salmon with roasted apple and dried cranberries.
The Main Course: That was followed by the main course of grilled beef with mashed potatoes. Now, a quick note here. It seems the catering kitchen forgot to add some salt and pepper to my shakers as they were empty.
The Dessert: Dessert was already on the tray and was a passion fruit cheesecake.
After a full meal, I turned my seat into a bed and decided to connect to the Wi-Fi and watch some of the IFE. However, my IFE froze several times during the flight after asking for it to be reset multiple times. And as you can see, the Wi-Fi never connected during the entire flight.
Mid-Flight Snack
After a quick nap, it was then time for a mid-flight snack. 14 hours and 25 minutes. That is the flight time today from San Francisco to Ho Chi Min City. So far, not bad. Can’t complain. But we’re about over halfway through the flight right now. I’m a little hungry, so I ordered some noodles for mid-flight.
Let’s see if I can use these chopsticks. The Vietnamese noodle soup was good. However, just a bit spicy.
Arrival Meal
About 2 hours out, the lights come on and it was time for the arrival meal. I selected the stir fried rice noodles with beef and oyster sauce. I actually found this meal to be delicious and enjoyed the option of a non-traditional western breakfast.
Booking with Points and Miles
I booked this flight using credit card points and miles. And here’s how I did it. I applied and was approved for the Bank of America Air France credit card that comes with a 70,000 point signup offer bonus. I then used my Capital One Venture X card that was offering a transfer bonus to Flying Blue to supplement the remainder of the miles that I needed for this redemption.
The total redemption cost was 98,000 Flying Blue miles and $242.30 in taxes and fees.
I found the award space for this flight via our partner, Seats.aero. They alerted me to the seats with a text message and I booked right away. I do think the taxes and fees were very high for this redemption. However, saving my Capital 1 miles by getting the Air France credit card from Bank of America and using the bulk of that signup offer made this entire redemption worth it to me.
The Bottom Line
All in all, this was not a horrible flight, but not life-changing or what we would call an aspirational redemption.
Here’s the bottom line for this SFO to SGN on Vietnam Airlines review: Would I fly Vietnam Airlines again? Sure, I wouldn’t hesitate to book, but it wouldn’t be my first choice if I had choices when I’m traveling to Southeast Asia. It is a different experience than visiting a place like la perla, but it gets you to your destination.
I want to know, have you flown Vietnam Airlines business class? If so, tell me about it and tell me what your thoughts are.
Flight Summary Table
| Feature | Experience |
|---|---|
| Route | SFO to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) |
| Aircraft | A350 (1-2-1 Configuration) |
| Lounge Access | Golden Gate, China Airlines, The Club at SFO |
| Crew | Spectacular, helpful |
| Food | Good noodles, tasty beef (missing salt/pepper) |
| Tech | Wi-Fi never connected, IFE froze |
| Cost | 98,000 Flying Blue Miles + $242.30 |