This business class to Europe is an absolute bargain

The airline: Vietnam Airlines

• Route Sydney to Paris, flight VN772 to Ho Chi Minh City and VN11 to Paris
• Frequency Daily
• Aircraft Airbus 350-900
• Class Business; seat 4G
• Flight time First flight to Ho Chi Minh City is eight hours and 45 minutes; second flight is 13 hours 45 minutes with a six-and-a-half-hour layover in the middle.

Vietnam Airlines is undergoing a massive expansion.Credit: iStock

Checking in

Vietnam Airlines bills itself as the four-star airline aspiring to offer five-star customer service, but where it really hits a six is with the price for business class flights from Australia to Europe. Compared to other major airlines, Vietnam Airlines’ fares can be almost a third less than the price of a top-tier carrier, depending on when the flight is. As a result, there’s a queue for business class at Sydney Airport, but check-in is brisk and swift, with priority access through customs and free lounge entry at every point.

Baggage

This is another mammoth plus: two checked luggage for each business class passenger of up to 32 kilograms per bag, with Platinum-level flyers entitled to another two bags of 23 kilograms each. Everyone’s also allowed two carry-on bags, plus a small bag, to a total of 18 kilograms. And a pet – weighing under 32 kilograms – can travel in the cabin with you, too.

Loyalty scheme

Lotusmiles, with SkyTeam alliance partners like Air France, Etihad, ANA, KLM and Delta.

The seat

Vietnam Airlines Business Class.Credit: Sue Williams

The seats are in a 1-2-1 layout, so flying as a couple – book early – means we can chat across our aisle tables, while single flyers have privacy against the windows. The seats, encased in cosy mattress-toppers, have a pitch of 42 inches (107 centimetres), a width of 21 inches (53.3 centimetres), and fold out flat, long enough to fully stretch out. There’s lots of space when sitting up to work, with a power socket and USB port, the Samsonite amenity case contains all the usuals and slippers come separately.

Entertainment + tech

The entertainment is easy to use, but the selection is limited.Credit: Sue Williams

The touch-screen entertainment system is the easiest to use I’ve ever encountered but sadly, there’s only a narrow range of English-language movies – the much-trumpeted “New This Month” selection includes the 1990 golden oldie Home Alone. I abandon hope of bingeing a favourite TV series, with usually only one to three episodes offered (with the exception of a whole five episodes of Friends). The system promises books, but that option turns out to not be available. There isn’t any onboard Wi-Fi either.

Service

Happily, this is where Vietnam Airlines excels, with stewards bowing at the start of the flight and at the end, and being friendly and incredibly attentive in between. Some may not be fluent in English, but they make up for it in their eagerness to please. When I lost one of my slippers in the night, a smiling attendant dived under my bed to look and finally presented me with an immediate substitute – courtesy of a sleeping passenger not using theirs. Cinderella, eat your heart out.

Food

Two meals are served during each flight, with the five-course dinner including a choice of entrees, then of mains with mushroom-stuffed guinea fowl, roasted halibut, lemon chicken or stir-fried noodles with shrimp and scallops, as well as bread, a cheese course, a dessert and then the kicker – chocolate and a digestif. The breakfast comprises yoghurt, cereal, a pastrami and cheese omelette, fried rice with shrimp or a cold plate of meat and cheese, followed by fresh fruit and a selection of bread, croissants and buns. It’s all top-notch, as you’d expect of Vietnamese-French food.

Sustainability

The airline is part of the CO2 Connect project, committing to the goal of net zero emissions by 2050, and has operated a flight using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

One more thing

Vietnam Airlines has almost 100 aircraft and is on a dramatic expansion path with daily flights also from Melbourne, and with Munich just added to its European destinations of Paris, London and Frankfurt. Milan will come on board in July 2025.

The price

To Paris from Sydney, business class, from about $7380 return.*

The verdict

For the money, this business class is an absolute bargain. It might lack the refinement of a Qatar or Emirates flight but the saving is considerable. The one downside is a 16-hour stopover in Ho Chi Minh City on the return flight but embrace it by extending to a one-night stay with an early check-in and late check-out as an Asian mini-break on the way home.

Our rating out of five

★★★★

The writer flew at her own expense. See vietnamairlines.com

*Fares are based on those available for travel three months from the time of publication and are subject to change.

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