VN Business Class! MEL-SGN-MEL

[MLflyer]

Welcome to my 3rd Trip Report!

This will be my 2nd time in Vietnam this year, flying VN Business Class MEL-SGN and back.

Flight: VN780
Route: MEL-SGN
Date: 25/12/2012
Aircraft: Airbus Industrie A330-200
Aircraft Registration: VN-A377
Seat: 3K (window)
Departure Time: 11:47 (delayed 22 minutes)
Load: 95%~ in Business

I arrived at MEL use about 1.5 hours until departure, just in time for check-in! The J/SkyPriority line had 1 pax in front of me being served by a friendly male check in agent, in a matter of minutes my bags were checked through, I was given my boarding pass, QF Club invitation and express pass through immigration and security. MEL today was very busy being a Tuesday morning, there was departures from EK, KE, QF, VA, VN, CA, MU, CZ, D7, MH, SQ, BI, NZ, UA, GA & JQ. EK & KE were delayed for a few hours today, adding further complications to the number of available gates.

I had a quick stop at the QF Club (which was very busy and crowded) and where I was greeted by a friendly lounge attendant for a little snack, before heading off snapping pictures away of the arriving and departing planes.

NZ 772 operated as NZ 123 Heading in from AKL, with SQ 773 *A making a special appearance at D8




Hello Neighbours! SQ 777, MH A333 & D7 A333


KE A332 sitting at D10, this flight was delayed by 3 hours ~ Sadly MEL won't be showing up on KE's route network from March :[


MU in the distance


QF A330 arriving from PER


SkyTeam friends CZ A332 & VN A332 with *A SQ 777


SQ A388 & JQ A332 resting for their trips to SIN later


My ride for today! VN-A377 taking me to SGN for around 8 Hours


Doors closed, ready for push back then .... CZ got in front and we had to wait for them to puchback, which took around 10 minutes as the captain informed us the taxiway is a little congested at the moment due to the number of aircraft being pushed back.


Also had shots of EK 77W, CA A332, QF A388, UA 744 however they didn't upload well

Settling in my seat, complimentary VN slippers !


VN also offered a warm towl, had about 5 of them during the entire flight! And variety of welcome drinks, OJ, Apple Juice and Champagne.

The Menu

[MLflyer]

Appetisers, with a can of Japanese coke


Starter, Hungarian Salami accompanied by a seared scallop & smoked salmon, also featuring sun dried tomatoes and a mix salad


Extra Mixed Salad, with Birch & Waite dressing


Leek & Capsicum soup


Main Lunch: Roast breast chicken with roast potatoes & seasonal vegetables


Garlic bread was my choice for today, was very tasty and crisp with the right proportion of Butter and bread ratio, just the way I like it!


After Lunch it was time for cheese & crackers & fruit!


A little extra!


A little More! Strawberry Ice cream


After the ice cream they also had a variety of Swiss chocolates, however I had to give it a pass as I was completely stuffed!

It was time to sleep after lunch, windows shade pulled down and mood lighting turned on!


Seating Controls


Ugo Vanelli Paris Amenity Kit

[MLflyer]

Around 2 hours before landing into SGN, a "light meal" was served, seemed to be a more of a full meal to me! More than what you get in Y! I had the roast beef steak with roast potatoes and veggies.


A closer look!


The sides consisted of Mix Salad


and more fruit (I do apologise for the quality!)


2 Bread for me for this "light meal"! Weat bread roll & garlic toast


Tropical Dawn Cocktail & Towl


The cabin before landing


We landed safely at SGN and docked at Gate 9 at 15:41 local time, next to a TG A330

Ending thoughts: VN offers a very good hard & soft product, the crew were very friendly and attentive, they carried out their job very professionally and were happy to serve you with a smile. The food was of excellent quality, its was very tasty and delicious and was plentiful, a bit too generous if you asked me! Although it was no lobster like SQ serves, it was quite excellent. The seat was also great, I had a good 3-4 hour sleep on the comfortable seat with plenty of legroom, however I do prefer their J seats on their 772's more, but this seat was more than adequate for an 8 hour flight.

VN seems to be a growing force in SE Asia, I hope they do become in the league to the likes of SQ, MH & TG, their service is top notch however they still have a few more steps before becoming an Asian Dragon carrier. The only way is up, and I would keep an eye on this SkyTeam carrier, the alliance seems to be better aligning itself with VN via flights and hubbing and signs are promising!