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The Experience
This one is a travel day: my first flight on Vietnam Airlines, in business class from Da Nang to Bangkok, and the check-in mistake I made so you don’t have to.
The mistake. Vietnam Airlines won’t let you check in any earlier than three hours before departure. I tried about 10 minutes too early and got turned away. Also, even if you check in online, you still have to go to the counter for the passport check, and they may ask for proof of your onward ticket. They did ask me this time, which normally doesn’t happen. Other than that, check-in and security at Da Nang International were easy.
The flight. We boarded by bus, even though the plane was about a sixteenth of a mile away. The flight is only about an hour and a half, so by the time you reach cruising altitude, they’re starting the descent. The seats in 3A looked a little dated but were very comfortable, the staff was attentive and very nice, and dinner was decent. After a recent flight elsewhere with a tuna sandwich nobody on my row would touch, it felt five-star. Overall, I’d give it high marks.
What it cost. The ticket was around $300. I booked through Capital One’s travel site. I probably could have found it a little cheaper, but I’ve had good luck with their flight disruption coverage, and you earn the points anyway.
Would I fly them again? Definitely. On these short flights around Asia, I find business class is a good value.
Back to Bangkok. My first stay in Bangkok had been rough: a cold, traveler’s stomach and the earthquake, so I barely got out. This time I was headed to the Holiday Inn Bangkok Silom, my first hotel in Thailand with a lounge, with plans to hang out with my friend Shane from the travel group, hunt down a second pair of size 13 Keens, and maybe take the train to Chiang Mai someday.
Slow travel rule number one: it isn’t a vacation, it’s how you live now. Don’t try to cram 50 attractions into a city. Knock off one or two, keep a list for next time, and come back.
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