We arrived at Heathrow for our 1100 flight to Ho Chi Minh City at just after 0800 and were quickly checked in. As Vietnam Airlines uses terminal 4 at Heathrow, I’d booked a room at the Premier Inn connected to the terminal for the night before, so we avoided a drastically early start and could walk from the hotel to the terminal. There was no one in front of us at check-in and no one in front of us at security so all formalities were sorted in minutes. 

Ready for a bit of breakfast, we headed straight for the Plaza Premium lounge opposite gate 10. Vietnam Airlines passengers should also be able to use the new Air France lounge once it opens this spring, but it annoyingly wasnt open in time for us. The Plaza Premium had an ok selection of breakfast items including fruit, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs and pastries. The tea was absolutely dreadful so either use 2 bags to get a decent brew or otherwise, the coffee was alright. 

After some dreadful tea, we had a mooch around the terminal to stretch our legs before boarding our 11 hours 55 minute flight. As we were at the airport, the US and Isreal launched attacks on Iran, with the obvious consequence of airspace closures in the Middle East, and several Gulf Air and Qatar Airways flights due to takeoff around the same time as ours, were delayed.

Crowds of people sitting on the floor around the gates started to build and announcements about refreshment vouchers were being made. I very nearly booked Qatar flights for this trip and it was not lost on me that had I booked Qatar, our trip would be ruined. It was simply a stroke of luck that I’d been able to snaffle seats on Vietnam Airlines using Virgin Points that meant we could get away, just in time.

I had booked a Qatar flight for the way home, however, so I was hoping it would all calm down in the 2 weeks we would be in Asia. As we all know, that wasn’t the case.

We were some of the first to board and were offered water, orange juice or champagne. I went with champagne but it was quite a stingy measure of just half a glass. 

First impressions of the seat on the 787 Dreamliner is that it feels pretty narrow, especially compared to the Finnair seat that we flew to/from Thailand on at Christmas. The baby poo green colour scheme makes the space feel a bit drab and there’s plenty of scuffs and signs of life. We were in the middle pair of seats (3D & E) and there’s no privacy screen but the window seats look much more private. 

We started pushback slightly before 1100 and lunch orders were taken. We took off at 1115 but service started pretty quickly with wine and nuts served about 20 minutes after takeoff.

Lunch was served at just before 1200. I had the smoked salmon starter which came with a potato side salad and a potato soup. All very tasty although the soup didn’t keep its heat for very long. The asparagus with the salmon had a lovely chargrilled flavour, but there could absolutely have been more salmon. 

The beef main was a bit more done than I personally like it and was very peppery, but perfectly acceptable. Mum ordered the beef for starter which came with potatoes so the starter was very potato heavy. I had food envy looking at the belly pork which was a nice thick slice atop a bed of noodles. 

Dessert service was different with a tray of cheeses, grapes, dried fruit and nuts brought through the cabin before a tray with ice cream and chocolate cakes. I had the ice cream which was very mild in vanilla flavour and a drizzle of cheery coulis. Lunch was cleared away and lights dimmed at precisely 1300.

About 2 hours before landing, the lights were abruptly switched back on and orders were taken for breakfast. I went with the Asian option of congee with pork and prawns and mum went with the English breakfast. 

It took about 30 minutes for breakfast to come out and I was glad I got the congee. It was piping hot and packed with fiery ginger. Mums full English looked great, although the poached egg was overdone. Still, it made a nice change to not see scrambled egg. 

In terms of service, the crew were friendly enough and smiling. They came through the cabin often and would refresh a drink if asked, but weren’t proactive. 

SGN airport is known for having horrendous wait times at immigration and there is supposed to be a fast track for business class passengers, not that I could find it. In the end, we were through passport control in about 20 minutes.

On the whole, it was a solidly decent flight. It certainly doesn’t have the pizzazz of the Middle Eastern airlines, but perfectly acceptable and with the focus moving to direct flights to minimise the risk of disruption, you should definitely consider Vietnam Airlines for your trips to Asia and beyond.

Date of trip; February 2026

Price paid; 100,000 Virgin Points plus £461 in taxes per person