This article takes a detailed look at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. From the bustling city traffic to the airport's upcoming modernization plans, the article highlights the airport's role in serving Vietnam's growing aviation needs.
Nothing says Saigon like a couple of hundred mopeds revving their engines at the lights. Coming from the Mekong Delta in the south of the country, we have to cross the entire city to reach the airport in the north, including crossing eight lanes of raging mopeds, held back only by a red light bulb. On a long weekend for the country’s national day, it takes 52 minutes to travel 17 kilometers across the city. Grey with plastic plants – the only design statement being made here is “workaday”.
The airport comprises two terminals – T1 for domestic and T2, the international terminal. A third terminal is due to start operating by April 2025, and an entirely new international airport, Long Thanh, is set to open in 2026. Modelled on the shape of the lotus flower, its plans indicate it will possess all the glamour the current airport is missing and, with a capacity of 100 million, it will be one of the world’s largest airports. Until then, dowdy Tan Son Nhat, first built in 1930, does the heavy lifting for the nation’s biggest city.Queues are slow-moving at this airport which will have a spanking new, lotus-shaped terminal in April. I’m flying business class, thank goodness there’s nobody else at the check-in desk. So dishevelled am I from the nail-biting drive across the city, the immaculate crew, in their red-and-tweed attire, take a moment to double-check I could be up the pointy end of the plane. Once certified, check-in is fast and without drama. The queue to clear customs is numbered in the hundreds and moving at the state of a dead snail; but everyone is just so jovial, laughing, chatting and waving to family in the public well-wishers gallery on the mezzanine above. After being barked at by customs officials to go to the back of the queue, I bite the bullet and ask my fellow passengers if I can queue-jump, explaining my flight is about to board. The queue is gracious and accommodates my request without question. My business-class ticket offers a priority queue at security checkpoints, not currently available in HCMC airport.For a last-minute hit of banh mi or pho, the airport obliges, with a busy outpost of restaurant chain Pho 24 even before you enter the terminal, and another franchise, Big Bowl, inside. Don’t count on it being the best you’ve ever eaten but, to my mind, even bad Vietnamese food is a better bet than food from the ubiquitous American pizza, fried chicken and burger outlets. Vietnam’s omnipresent Highlands Coffee also makes several appearances. Need an ao dai (dress) or non laa (conical bamboo hat)? The souvenir shops in most Vietnamese airports oblige, though of course at prices above those on the street. Expect the usual run of duty-free perfumes and alcohol. For a country with such a huge diaspora, it’s only natural Saigon has a well-wishers’ gallery open to the public – and I wish more airports would, instead of our brutal drop-and-run set-ups. Dozens of families are gathered on the mezzanine level looking over the departures gates, waving off loved ones. There’s also a kids’ zone and sleep zone with a handful of loungers – bring your own eye mask – massage chairs, free Wi-Fi, luggage storage and adverts for a printer service. The Rose business lounge is open to VietJet business-class passengers as well as a host of other airlines and Plaza Premium members. The airport is designed to accommodate up to 17 million passengers each year. A little speed on customs wouldn’t go astray
Tan Son Nhat Airport Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam Airport Travel Aviation Modernization Long Thanh Airport Vietnamese Culture Travel Experiences
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