Ho Chi Minh City Flights

We were snowed in and our flight was cancelled. Air Canada did a good job rebooking us with all our connections,including our Cathy Pacific leg from Hong Kong. They were much easier to dealwith than a few years ago...a welcome change.

We had a good flight with lots of service. No complaints.

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Into HCMC
No filling up of Immigration Card is required upon arrival at HCMC's Tan Soh Nhat International Airport from Bangkok. We were quite taken aback by it.

Journey to Hotel:
Took a taxi from the Airport to our hotel during evening peak hours and journey took about 45 minutes and cost about 150.000 vietnamese dong (all-in).

Journey to Airport:
Took a taxi from the Hotel to the Airport and it took about 1/2 hour on non-peak hours on Christmas Day (working day in HCMC) and cost about 120.000 vietnamese dong.

Check-In Area:
The size of the check-in area is very small and within a minute or two, you should be able to cover the whole area.

Checking In:
Check in was a breeze as within the Terminal Building was virtually empty at about 12:30pm in the afternoon.

Food Outlet:
There is a food outlet (Confetti) in the public area (which is also the viewing gallery with a view of the check-in counters) that serves both Vietnamese food and international food.

Shops in Transit/Departure Gates:
There are a many of shops after passing immigration checks that sells items mostly in US dollars. These includes duty free wines, local food products, clothing and accessories, etc.

We arrived to Vietnam with Finnair flight from Helsinki. The airport immigration check out was fast as well as the check-in when we came for departure it was quick. The airport itself seems rather new and modern but there were only few shops where you could buy some items and souvenirs and few place to eat or drink something.

Many Asian airlines have a rather dodgy reputation. I last flew Vietnam Airlines in 1993, and, yes, I said a few prayers on take-off. I was lucky enough to fly Vietnam Airlines again in 2008 and WOW ... what a difference. On the international leg from Sydney we had a brand spanking new Boeing 777. Spacious, comfortable, and great service from those lovely Vietnamese stewardesses. I also did a couple of domestic flights with Vietnam Airlines which were fine.

As a travel writer I've flown half a billion kilometres around the world and I would say go on, fly Vietnam airlines if they service your country. It puts you in the right mood for visiting a fantastic country.

Latest update: You no longer need to pay the USD14 airport departure tax at Tan Son Nhat airport before boarding. Since November 2007, the tax is already incorporated into your air ticket. This makes flight travel much simpler and you don't have to worry about having not enough USD left at the end of your trip.

I arrived by Vietnam Airlines to the Tan Son Nhat Airport which recently sports a new terminal. The terminal is spanking new, clean and nice. If you need a visa, you would a 'Landing Visa' counter just to the left, before the immigration counters. Expect lots of bureaucracy and waiting time to get your visa. Make sure you have a letter through your travel agency, otherwise you may be denied a visa. Bring along some passport-size photos so that you do not need to pay anything from USD4-10 just to get your picture taken. The whole process of getting your visa may take 1 hour!!! Then proceed for immigration clearance and after that you arrive at your baggage carousel. Some duty free shops are also found here. After that, you would need to pass customs where your luggage will be scanned. Then you come out to Ho Chi Minh City and you would enjoy a wonderful holiday!

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This New Terminal of Than So Nhat was opened in August, 21, 2007 with Tiger Airways being the first to be recieved. It was Officially opened on Sept. 2, 2007 during Independence Day. It has a passenger capacity to 8 million passengers a year and the total capacity of this airport will reach 15 million passengers per year. The old terminal will become fully domestic. After 2015, when Long Thanh International Airport is completed, Tan Son Nhat will serve domestic passengers only.

Than So Nhat is Located at: Tan Binh District about 7 km (4 miles) northwest of the city center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Taxis are plentiful outside the arrivals area, and a ride to town should be around $5. Alternatively, your hotel may have an airport shuttle—more expensive, but also more convenient.

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Tan Son Nhat International Airport has its origins in the early 1930s, when the French Colonial government constructed a small unpaved airport, known as Tân Sơn Nhất Airfield in the village of Tan Son Nhat. By mid-1956 United States of America foreign aid built a 7,200-foot runway and the facility became South Vietnam's international airport. During the Vietnam War, Tan Son Nhut Air Base it was an important facility for both the United States and the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF). Before 1975, Tan Son Nhat International Airport had been one of the busiest airbases worldwide.

It is located around 7km (4 miles) northwest of the city center. It is the largest of the three international airports in Vietnam receiving more international flights than the capital, Hanoi. Twenty-two airlines serve 18 cities in Asia and Europe with regular flights going to Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The terminal has been expanded recently and improvements are continually being made to handle larger numbers of passengers. However, compared to most other South East Asian cities, facilities are very limited. A New Terminal Was Recently Opend (see my Than So Nhat Airport New Tips) A project to build a new international terminal is planned, although it will not be operational for a few years.

Than So Nhat is Located at: Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Taxis are plentiful outside the arrivals area, and a ride to town should be around $5. Alternatively, your hotel may have an airport shuttle—more expensive, but also more convenient.