Travel is better off with Vietnam Airlines’ economy class service from Perth to Ho Chi Minh City

It begins with that bizarre air travel quirk where you rock up to the airport one day, and leave the next.

After arriving at Perth International at 10pm on Saturday night, I’ve just boarded one of Vietnam Airlines’ three weekly red-eye services from Perth to Ho Chi Minh City where all I want to do is wait for the lights to go out and drift off to sleep.

It’s their Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, with 211 economy seats, valued at $755 return. But we’re far from crammed in.

To my delight, the promise from check-in staff that I’d have an entire row to myself proved correct. And as I look around, I’m not the only one.

Several passengers claim at least one seat between them and the next glassy-eyed flyer. While others have a paddock to spread their legs. If this is cattle class, it bears a stronger resemblance to a free-range chicken farm.

But that’s something Vietnam Airlines would surely hope to change.

I’m offered a damp cloth to wipe my brow, and to remind me my final destination will likely be very humid. I’ll take it, thanks (on both fronts).

As someone who has become reliant on their emotional support water bottle and only brought a small one on board, I’m comforted by the cabin crew’s swift distribution of plastic disposable bottles that should keep me from perishing for much of the way. And all this while we’re still on the runway, not bad.

Fortunately, the flight leaves exactly on time, 12.50am sharp, with Perth’s sparkling skyline by night a glorious send-off compared to the air pollution I might encounter.

Either Optus Stadium’s fluorescent glow was so entrancing I didn’t feel us leave the tarmac, or our take-off was extremely smooth. Anyone else get dizzy gazing out the window as the plane takes off? Thankfully, not me this time.

We recalibrate and I take stock of what’s around me. I’ve already accumulated three pillows and three blankets courtesy of the empty seats on my left. By now you’ve realised I picked the window seat to reside in for the next six hours and 20 minutes, because why wouldn’t you?

With a check-in baggage allowance of 23kg I didn’t need to stuff my carry-on silly, so it was never going to be that tight a squeeze, anyway.

The interior is by no means dated, but it certainly doesn’t evoke “new plane smell”. It’s comfortable.

There’s a headset to connect to the adequately-sized monitor (10.6 inches) ahead, with a fair assortment of current and classic Hollywood films to go with TV shows and podcasts. And of course, the live digital flight map, which is oddly satisfying to watch. Like being in control of your aircraft’s altitude, estimated time of arrival and trajectory without really having any influence over it.

I also take a squiz at Vietnam Airlines’ international routes. I zoom in … zoom out. Oops, looks like this exact flight is yet to officially exist. Though it’s been in service since December 2023. Does that mean anyone is actually monitoring us? I hope we make it.

I decide I’ll throw on Crikey! It’s The Irwins, a bit of a non-thinker as I wait for my little pre-sleep snack to arrive. A “sweet bread” or something, I think they offered.

I flick through the glossy travel mag which whets my appetite for exploring much more than Vietnam’s famous food scene.

To my pleasant surprise, I’m presented with a small banh mi, a classic local roll, with carrot and some undisclosed protein that could be pork, chicken or beef. A banh mi-ni, I think to myself. It’s delicious, but I’m not sure how. The bread is warm and not soggy, with a light toasting. The flavour exceeds its somewhat subdued appearance. But I don’t care. I’ve paired it with a cup of red wine to nudge my drowsiness into a deep sleep, albeit for two or three hours.

The lights are out and I tuck the blanket over my legs which fit comfortably under the seat ahead. I decide to ditch the neck pillow I brought along and place one of my trio of provided cushions between the headrest and window.

Within ten-ish minutes, I’m out.

Two hours later I’m awoken by the sharp lights as we await breakfast. A vegetarian meal is what I selected, which is served roughly one hour and 45 minutes before our scheduled arrival. It’s rice and peas with some kind of satay sauce and tofu, along with a croissant, some fruit and a yoghurt.

Pretty standard, nothing too remarkable. However, I’ve noticed the guy in the row immediately adjacent has whipped out his two-minute noodle cup of choice and is slurping it up like he’s done this many times before. Mid-air, I mean. Come on mate, the food is not terrible.

I get through about two-thirds of my meal, wait for it to be carted away, and doze off again.

I’m awoken by the abrupt announcement that we are preparing for landing, and count how many cumulative hours of sleep I got. It couldn’t have been more than three.

That went by a little too quickly.

Another refreshing hand towel is presented, and this time I actually need it.

Hydrated, largely satiated, and running off fumes in the sleep department, we’ve officially made it to VERY humid Ho Chi Minh City by 6.10am.

For a flight designed to get you from A to B fast and comfortably — and without losing daylight — it delivers, and leaves a few dong left in the bank to enjoy your trip.

The only worry now is hoping my hotel has early check-in so I don’t experience the longest waking day of my life.

RATING

4 stars out of 5.

+ Zach Margolius was a guest of Vietnam Airlines. They have not influenced or read this story before publication.