[Flight Review] Vietnam Airlines Ho Chi Minh City to Paris CDG Charles de Gaulle Business Class

[Flight Review]
We fly from Ho Chi Minh City on Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport, VN11 Vietnam Airlines, in Business Class on board their Airbus A350. Our flight was scheduled for 2315hrs, but it was delayed till 2355hrs. Earlier that evening, we had flown in to Ho Chi Minh on Vietnam Airlines, also on an Airbus A350 aircraft, and we also spent a short time at the Lotus Lounge at HCMC airport, waiting for the VN 11 flight.

Boarding was smooth, though the passengers were visibly tired and somewhat irritated that the flight was delayed (due to late arrival of aircraft). I observed that most of the passengers in the Economy cabin were French speaking Europeans.

VN’s Airbus A350 Business Class is in a 1-2-1 Reverse Herringbone configuration, each seat with direct aisle access and can convert into a flat bed. We were given a warm towel and welcome drink upon boarding (I chose water melon juice). I noticed that the Business class cabin did not have overhead compartments in the center aisle. This gave the Biz class cabin a much roomier feeling, but the downside was that there was far less overhead space for premium passengers.

Menus were distributed. After take-off, supper would be served. Breakfast was would be served 2 hours before landing. The flight time was estimated 12hrs 50min, so this would be quite a long flight. VN is a member of SkyTeam alliance, so this flight was codeshare with Air France. Before take-off, the stewardess came to take our orders for supper. I chose the fish starter, and the beef main. The stewardess also offered me 2 types of Red wine, as per the menu. Originally, I misunderstood what she was trying to say (my bad). I finally got the message (2 types of Red Wine and not 2 types of wine) and chose the Shiraz over the Bordeaux. Our departure was around midnight.

The movie selection wasn’t great, but I could find some movies that I was interested to watch. The headphones provided were not good at all (e.g. no noise cancelling), but then again, for the fare we paid, I wouldn’t complain too much. The meal service was very good. Garlic bread was awesome. The starter was filling and the main also very substantial. Two large skewers of beef, with some cold noodles. Frankly, it was way past my meal time and I was very full from the previous flight, so I hardly ate. It was more like food tasting. After dinner service (which was fast and efficient), the stewardess provided a mattress, which made the seat much more comfortable.

I woke up halfway during the flight, having had a decent sleep of several hours. I asked for a Chivas Regal and something to eat. I was served with some open-faced sandwiches, which weren’t too bad. Very soon, it was 2 hours before landing and the cabin lights came on, as it was time for breakfast. The stewardess came around to take our breakfast orders, and I ordered their famous Vietnamese Pho noodles. It was all served on one tray, together with fresh fruit and some birchermuesli.

We landed just slightly behind schedule, so we weren’t that late even though the departure from Ho Chi Minh was almost an hour behind. At Paris CDG, we did have an aero-bridge, and had to take the airport bus to the terminal. Paris was 6 hours behind Vietnam time. Enjoy the video!