I went on a work trip to Vietnam almost two weeks back. The intention was to spend a night in Da Nang, then come down to Ho Chi Minh City, where I would spend two nights, before returning to Singapore. However, as luck would have it, a family emergency occurred and I had to return on the same day.
My flight schedule was supposed to have been as follows:
21 April: Tiger Airways TR2322 (SIN-SGN)
21 April: Vietjet Air VJ626 (SGN-DAD)
22 April: Jetstar Pacific BL595 (DAD-SGN)
24 April: Tiger Airways TR2329 (SGN-SIN)
I was at Changi Airport by 5:45am to check in for my 7:05am flight. I always hate morning flights, preferring to go for something more earthly, like 9:30am. However, I did not have a choice this time as I had a connecting Vietjet Air flight at 10:40am to catch.
Check-in was done in a breeze and since I had more than an hour to my flight, I zoomed over to Terminal 1 to visit my lounge to catch some breakfast. Note that I was to fly on Tiger Airways, and I hate to spend $12 on a meal.
I have been to the Oasis Wellness Lounge many times, but still here I was to catch some chow. I do not have Priority Pass, and the only lounge that my ANZ card brings me to is this lounge.
Simple offerings at the Wellness Lounge. The perennial chicken rice is there. Not that I love it. I went for some hash browns and instant noodles. Instant noodles, though cheap, is always a safe choice if everything else fails.
By 6:25am, I was done. I took the Skytrain back to Terminal 2, where I hurried to Gate F37 for my Tiger Airways flight. This gate is located at a bend within the terminal, so I was not able to see the plane fully from the holding gate.
There was a dirty Singapore Airlines Airbus A330-300 parked next door at Gate F42. I did not check where it was headed to. I was still groggy when I took this early-morning shot, having had just 3.5 hours of sleep. Eventually my plane took off from Runway 02C.
Flying over the South China Sea. I love the deep blue sky... The yellow wingtip reminded me that I was on a Tiger aircraft.
My aircraft making a U-turn over the Mekong Delta before straightening itself for its final approach for Runway 25L. This time of the year, most flights would follow this path. You could see a whole swathe of industrial territory under you, chock full of factories, warehouses and storage tanks, as the aircraft banked left, then left again to head westwards. The terminal you see here is Cat Lai Port, the largest and most modern container terminal facility in Vietnam.
After landing at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Our gate was not available yet as we arrived about 20 minutes early and the prior aircraft was still occupying it!
Upon clearing immigration, I immediately headed for the Domestic Terminal, just five minutes by foot away, along a sheltered walkway. Somehow, the exterior of this terminal was more modern-looking than that of the International Terminal.
I wasted no time in checking in for my Vietjet Air flight to Da Nang. It was going to be my first trip to the resort city. I had booked this trip way back in February, so I paid only S$31 for it, all in. Vietjet Air is positioned as a fun and wacky airline, not unlike Scoot, and I was eager to try it.
Tan Son Nhat Domestic Terminal, airside. This place was probably renovated over the last few years, as I do not recall seeing anything like this during my last trip here in September 2009. It was totally modern and totally refreshing. There was a row of three F&B eateries.
Star Cafe (western cafe), Big Bowl (pho shop) and Banh Mi Kep (Viet sandwhich place), all arranged in a nice, convenience layout. Apart from Star Cafe, the outlets specialised in traditional Vietnamese fare, though the facade and operations were definitely Western. Well, you have to catch up with the times and cater to the tourists if you were to make it big on the international stage!
To be continued ...
My flight schedule was supposed to have been as follows:
21 April: Tiger Airways TR2322 (SIN-SGN)
21 April: Vietjet Air VJ626 (SGN-DAD)
22 April: Jetstar Pacific BL595 (DAD-SGN)
24 April: Tiger Airways TR2329 (SGN-SIN)
I was at Changi Airport by 5:45am to check in for my 7:05am flight. I always hate morning flights, preferring to go for something more earthly, like 9:30am. However, I did not have a choice this time as I had a connecting Vietjet Air flight at 10:40am to catch.
Check-in was done in a breeze and since I had more than an hour to my flight, I zoomed over to Terminal 1 to visit my lounge to catch some breakfast. Note that I was to fly on Tiger Airways, and I hate to spend $12 on a meal.
I have been to the Oasis Wellness Lounge many times, but still here I was to catch some chow. I do not have Priority Pass, and the only lounge that my ANZ card brings me to is this lounge.
Simple offerings at the Wellness Lounge. The perennial chicken rice is there. Not that I love it. I went for some hash browns and instant noodles. Instant noodles, though cheap, is always a safe choice if everything else fails.
By 6:25am, I was done. I took the Skytrain back to Terminal 2, where I hurried to Gate F37 for my Tiger Airways flight. This gate is located at a bend within the terminal, so I was not able to see the plane fully from the holding gate.
There was a dirty Singapore Airlines Airbus A330-300 parked next door at Gate F42. I did not check where it was headed to. I was still groggy when I took this early-morning shot, having had just 3.5 hours of sleep. Eventually my plane took off from Runway 02C.
Flying over the South China Sea. I love the deep blue sky... The yellow wingtip reminded me that I was on a Tiger aircraft.
My aircraft making a U-turn over the Mekong Delta before straightening itself for its final approach for Runway 25L. This time of the year, most flights would follow this path. You could see a whole swathe of industrial territory under you, chock full of factories, warehouses and storage tanks, as the aircraft banked left, then left again to head westwards. The terminal you see here is Cat Lai Port, the largest and most modern container terminal facility in Vietnam.
After landing at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Our gate was not available yet as we arrived about 20 minutes early and the prior aircraft was still occupying it!
Upon clearing immigration, I immediately headed for the Domestic Terminal, just five minutes by foot away, along a sheltered walkway. Somehow, the exterior of this terminal was more modern-looking than that of the International Terminal.
I wasted no time in checking in for my Vietjet Air flight to Da Nang. It was going to be my first trip to the resort city. I had booked this trip way back in February, so I paid only S$31 for it, all in. Vietjet Air is positioned as a fun and wacky airline, not unlike Scoot, and I was eager to try it.
Tan Son Nhat Domestic Terminal, airside. This place was probably renovated over the last few years, as I do not recall seeing anything like this during my last trip here in September 2009. It was totally modern and totally refreshing. There was a row of three F&B eateries.
Star Cafe (western cafe), Big Bowl (pho shop) and Banh Mi Kep (Viet sandwhich place), all arranged in a nice, convenience layout. Apart from Star Cafe, the outlets specialised in traditional Vietnamese fare, though the facade and operations were definitely Western. Well, you have to catch up with the times and cater to the tourists if you were to make it big on the international stage!
To be continued ...
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