Trip Report - Sydney To Saigon

[Grahame Hutchison]

Monday 11th February 2013
Sydney To Saigon - 4250mi
Vietnam Airlines VN377
Our aircraft today is A330 VN-A377

1005 Boarding at Gate 30 QNH 1017 Temp 24. Seat allocation was 29G.
1135 Pushback and taxi via Golf and Alpha to the Alpha 1 holding point. There are three in the departure queue, so about a 10min hold.
1153 Rolling Runway 16R with a 42sec takeoff roll.

After liftoff we were almost immediately into cloud, and on the initial climb there was a loud noise that sounded like hail above the cabin ceiling, which lasted for a minute. The sound was so loud, many passengers were looking around at each other. I believe this is just a "quirk" of the airconditioning system. After tracking south, we turned right to take up a heading towards the north west.

Lunch was Vegetable Salad with Cajun Chicken, Stir Fry Beef with Peppers and Mushroom, and Stir Fried Egg Noodles. Desert was a Caramel Slice cake.

Dinner was Seafood in an Oriental Sauce, with Stir Fried Egg Noodles. Desert was frest fruits.

Both Lunch and Dinner were very average, the coffee was reasonable, and the wine not something to drink. The cabin crew do their job but are not very inetractive at all.

The movie selection was very average, no new releases, most already out on DVD. Seat pitch is very tight, my knees were touching the seat in front, and the seat quite hard.

The "hail" like noise occured several times during the flight, and when I asked a crew member about the noise, they had no clue, even having difficulty understanding what I was asking.

1903 1hr 11min out of Ho Chi Minh City. Our track today was south of the Gulf of Carpentaria, southwest of Darwin, then overhead Banda Seri Begawan in northern Borneo. Our heading was 310deg at 575mph, 38000ft and -63 deg F.

We landed close to on time and were out through Immigration and baggage collection quite quickly. A coach was waiting for us outside the Terminal, and the trip into the city around 30min. Accommodation for the week is at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers.

Timing for this visit was excellent, right on Chinese New Year, and there was still many displays and celebrations in the streets.

One of the main city streets was completely blocked to traffic, with massive displays the full lenght of the street.

Lotus Blossoms in the pond.


A small wooden ship as the centre piece amoung the flowers.


Sculpture in the flowers.


Hand weaving silk in the street.


Blossom display with orchids.


The golden tiger watching over the displays.


The French influence can be seen in the design of the Opera House.


The Hotel Continental also very much designed in the French style.


Every piece of the Notre Dame Cathederal was brought in from France.


The Central Post Office.


The beautiful arched roof of the Post Office, with a painting of Ho Chi Minh on the end wall.


One of the few modern buildings in the city, this one with a helipad half way up.


Inside the War Remnants Museum there are many examples of US equipment left behind at the end of the Vietnam war.


A USAF Northrop T-38


Some of the amunition left behind.

[Grahame Hutchison]

Cessna A-37 Dragonfly


Douglas A-1 Skyraider


Douglas A-1 Skyraider


Bell UH-1A Huey with Gatling Gun mounted.


Cessna U-17A with wing mounted rockets.


Bell UH-1A Huey


Northrop T-38


One of many tanks.


Boeing CH-47 Chinook


More tanks


The Presidential Palace, now the Unification Palace, taken from the gates where the tank broke through on the 30th April 1975 to end the Vietnam War.


The tank that took out the Palace gates.


A second tank involved in the Palace takeover.


Northrop T-38 in the Palace gardens.


Northrop T-38 in the Palace gardens.

[Grahame Hutchison]

One of the amazing rooms in the Palace.


A veneered and lacquered wall in the Palace.


Thursday 14th February 2013
Saigon - Sydney VN773
Aircraft tonight is A330 VN-A381

Checkin not open when we arrived at the Terminal.
After checkin there was a bag scan without laptop out separately, then through to Immigration and another bag scan, this time with laptops out, and a pat down for me. At the gate there was another bag check by hand.

1940 Boarding through Gate 9 and seat allocation 16H.
2011 Rolling on Runway 07R with a 42 sec takeoff roll.
2105 Dinner served.

Knowing that the movie selection is poor, I tried to sleep as best you can in a tight seat pitch and hard seat - not very comfortable, but I woke up on the Queensland boarder.
0425 Breakfast served, Fruit, Yoghurt, Bread Roll, Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Tomato and Spinach, with Apple Juice and Coffee.
0455 Top of Descent
0527 Touchdown Runway 16R and vacated on the Alpha 4 Rapid. Taxi via Alpha and Hotel to Gate 30.
0534 Shutdown

I would rate Vietnam Airlines as generally Average, our trip to the US and Canada last Spetember was much better on the Air Canada B777, particularly the seat and leg room.