Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 business class HO CHI MINH CITY-LONDON

The bedding was nice - with pre-attached seat protector plus soft pillow and silky duvet

- Tamsin Cocks

BACKGROUND

Vietnam Airlines received its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in 2015, and now has 11 in the fleet, along with four Boeing 787-10s. The three-class configuration offers 28 seats in business, 35 in premium economy and 211 in economy. Vietnam Airlines is part of the SkyTeam alliance.

CHECK-IN

I arrived at Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat International airport at 2238 for flight VN51 to London at 0005.

Vietnam Airlines check-in counters are in C/D, with dedicated SkyPriority and business class lanes. It was quiet when I got there and with fast-track security I was through by 2250.

THE LOUNGE

There are two Lotus Lounge options. The larger option, which I visited, is on Level 3 above duty free. The smaller one is on Level 2 near Gate 18.

Facilities include showers, information screens, a pet area (sadly empty on my visit) computer and printing facilities, and plenty of seating and charging ports.

Food was weirdly breakfast-focused, with cereal and cold-cut offerings, along with some hot dishes including stir-fried pork in lo mein sauce.

BOARDING