Our journey between Singapore and Sydney via Saigon with Vietnam Airlines continued on their short-haul economy product aboard the Airbus A321.
The aircraft, VN-A397, is a 12-year-old Airbus A321-200 delivered to Vietnam Airlines in 2012 under a lease agreement. It’s one of 62 A321s in their fleet, which includes a mix of A321CEOs and A321NEOs commonly used on domestic routes. VN-A397 is configured with 16 Business Class seats in a 2-2 layout and 168 Economy seats in a 3-3 arrangement. While initially assigned seat 31A, we were moved to a bulkhead seat in 10C, just behind the Business Class partition—a fortunate upgrade.
The Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City route is seasonally popular, connecting travelers seeking cultural experiences. It’s served by four carriers offering 68 weekly flights on both widebody and narrowbody aircraft, with Vietnam Airlines operating the latter. While previously flown by VN’s flagship Boeing 787 Dreamliners, today’s full flight on the A321 reflects consistent demand for this service.
Vietnam Airlines’ A321 economy seating offers a straightforward experience akin to other short-haul economy products—simple and standard for the price of a ticket. Each of the 168 economy seats features comfortable fabric cushioning, an 81 cm (32 inch) seat pitch, an18 inch seat width and and an11.5 cm backrest recline. Seated in a bulkhead row provided generous legroom.
The seats come with firm armrests housing foldable tray tables. The structured design contributes to spaciousness, making them feel surprisingly wide even in the narrow-body aircraft’s3-3 layout .
Having flown with Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways recently set high expectations; however , Vietnam Airlines did not disappoint . From boarding to deplaning as last passenger , hospitality was exceptional . Every cabin crew member interacted courteously throughout journey . Imagining Vietnam Airlines cabin crew without smile feels as unlikely as eating cereal without milk — simply impossible .
Our two-hour journey included meal service reminiscent late lunch served shortly after reaching10 ,000 feet . For today’s meal chose chicken rice sauce accompanied seasoned vegetables reaffirming Asian carriers excel delivering outstanding Oriental-inspired catering Each bite tender flavorful complemented savory yet slightly sweet sauce Paired warm steamed white rice meal felt comforting almost like soul food fitting choice marking first solo trip quite some time VN Economy meal trays come bread roll butter banana choice beverages including fruit juices soft drinks alcohol Following meal service approached Vietnam southern coast crew offered hot beverages gladly accepted savoring warm drink prepare six-hour layover ahead Tan Son Nhat International Airport
On our A321 personal IFE screens available either Economy Business Class However browsing literature seat pocket discovered option mobile-based entertainment Connecting onboard LotuStar WiFi passengers access same IFE system found seat-back screens Vietnam Airlines widebody aircraft pleasant surprise worth noting WiFi support internet browsing Seat pocket well-stocked variety items including airsickness bag Lotushop catalogue magazine perhaps notably “Heritage Guide” Ho Chi Minh City handy resource travelers eager explore Saigon Despite short flight blankets provided all passengers However pillows provided Lavatory standard economy-class lavatories located rear A321 kept clean well-maintained throughout flight equipped basic amenities hand soap towels perfectly adequate domestic short-haul routes Wet Towels Before takeoff aircraft taxied toward runway disposable hand towels distributed all economy passengers Packaging attractively branded Vietnam Airlines signature colors adding nice touch experience
The standout feature this flight undoubtedly value money Vietnam Airlines faces stiff competition Singapore Airlines SQ sets benchmark quality VietJet Air VJ dominates low-cost market Vietnam Airlines however strikes balance offering affordable though necessarily cheap fares included meal service entertainment exceptional hospitality short regional flight In opinion true value Vietnam Airlines lies type aircraft fly clear criticizing A321 onboard offering However when route operated one widebody aircraft passengers enjoy far comprehensive experience comparable Singapore Airlines renowned service arguably gold standard region insider note fares flights sometimes drop upgraded widebody aircraft making even better value
