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Flight Review: Vietnam Airlines – Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc

March 31, 2021 By James Clark

Flight Review: Vietnam Airlines - Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc

Flight: Vietnam Airlines VN 1825
From: Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) To: Phu Quoc (PQC)

I flew with Vietnam Airlines from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc. There are numerous flights a day between the two destinations, so I used Skyscanner to search and compare airfares. I selected Vietnam Airlines for the price and time of day.

I wanted a morning flight, and there were a few similar options, so I picked the flight operating a 787 over the A320 alternatives.

Vietnam Airlines SGN-PQC options

The total price with a checked bag was 546,000 VND ($23.80 USD).

Vietnam Airlines SGN-PQC price

I was flying during a time when there were no local covid cases, so domestic travel was mostly normal.

SGN departure drop off

Passengers were required to fill out an online health declaration before checking in.

Covid information 30-03-21

I like using the check-in kiosk so that I can see the seat map and pick my own seat.

Seat selection

The airport was surprisingly busy, so it appeared that domestic travel was doing well in Vietnam in these times.

Airside departures

Vietnam Airlines flight VN 1825 departs SGN at 9:45 and arrives at Phu Quoc PQC at 10:50, for a scheduled flying time of 1 hour and 5 minutes.

9-45-to-phu-quoc

I would have thought that a 787 aircraft would be allocated an airbridge to board. Instead, we boarded via the tarmac.

Boarding for PQC

I usually prefer an airbridge boarding, but I did pick this flight to be on a Dreamliner, so at least I got to see this aircraft up close.

Dreamliner at SGN

The seat configuration on the Dreamliner with Vietnam Airlines is 3x3x3.

Dreamliner seats

Because I checked in early I was asked if I wanted to move to an exit row, so I took the offer.

Emergency row

I didn’t get a window, but I will take the option of extra legroom when offered. We were offered a free water bottle and sealed wet towel.

Exit door

I thought it was unusual that Vietnam Airlines were operating such a big aircraft on this route. They do operate 787 and A350 on the Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City route. HAN-SGN is one of the world’s busiest domestic routes, so it is easy to fill such a large aircraft. The aircraft was less than half full, with one section completely empty. I presume they are just operating this aircraft on different routes to keep it active, rather than mothballing the aircraft during the pandemic.

Empty section

Heritage – the inflight magazine of Vietnam Airlines.

Heritage March 2021

I appreciate that they still keep the international route map intact, even though there are currently no international flights.

Route map March 2021

A route map of the flight was shown on the common screens in the cabin. The flying time is about 45 minutes, so the flight has barely reached cruising altitude before starting the descent.

SGN-PQC route map

The flight arrived at Phu Quoc International Airport ontime, and we disembarked via an airbridge.

Phu Quoc International Airport

The airport wasn’t busy and baggage claim was quick.

Baggage claim

There is a lot of advertising for resorts at the airport, and I was here to do a construction report for Phu Quoc. Here is my full Phu Quoc trip report.

Corona advertising

Overall this was a good flight option to Phu Quoc, and I have been a happy Vietnam Airlines passenger during my time in Vietnam. It was disconcerting to see so many empty seats though, which has been a sight for struggling airlines around the world during the pandemic.

Filed Under: Flight Review Tagged With: pqc airport, sgn airport, vietnam airlines

About James Clark

James Clark is the founder of Nomadic Notes. He has been a digital nomad since 2003, and Nomadic Notes features trip reports, train travel articles, and where to stay guides. He writes about transport and urban development at Future Southeast Asia. Subscribe to the weekly travel newsletter.

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James Clark from Nomadic Notes

Hi, I’m James Clark, and I've been travelling the world since 2003 while running a location independent travel business. Nomadic Notes is a travel blog featuring travel guides and notes from my travels.

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