asianews

Monday, 5 October 2009

Ho Chi Minh's International Airport seemed empty as I arrived at noon for my 2.15pm flight Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Check-in was a breeze as the Vietnam Airlines' counter for my flight was right near the entrance and noone was in line.

Customs took slightly longer as there was one security checkpoint, a passport checkpoint and then another security checkpoint, which didn't really make sense as passengers would be hard-pressed to find anything dangerous to carry onto the plane between those two security points.

However, the process didn't take too long and soon enough I was walking towards Vietnam Airlines' Lotus Lounge.

The first thing that caught my eye as I arrived in the lounge was its bright green chairs which exuded a vibrancy when the sun shone in from the ceiling to floor glass windows.? There was also a stretch of snacks, food and drinks all along the left side of the lounge and in the far corner, massage chairs.

A massage, a few snacks and a magazine later, I headed to Gate 9 to board my flight which was being operated by an Airbus A320-200.

I found my window seat in no time as Business Class seats were right at the front of the small plane in a 2-2 layout with the Economy Class cabin right behind in a 3-3 layout.

Flight attendants offered passengers towels and drinks and went through safety instructions before the aircraft took off right on time.

Much of my flight was spent marvelling at the view of Ho Chi Minh City and then Phnom Penh's as the plane was above the clouds for only 10-15 minutes, the rest of the time at a perfect level to look out the window.