Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport is one of the two Vietnam Airlines hubs. Being its mainstay, it is no surprise that the airport is home to not one, but two Vietnam Airlines lounges. Unlike say, the Cathay Pacific Lounges in Hong Kong, the lounges are simply differentiated by number – in which the Lotus Lounge 1 is the bigger of the two. Notably, Vietnam Airlines does not have separate lounges between elite members and Business Class, which can be a good thing or not, depending on how you see it.

Lounge Access Rules

Being a SkyTeam member-operated lounge, it is no surprise that SkyPriority passengers are its core customers. As such, passengers flying in First Class or Business Class on a SkyTeam airline like Korean Air are afforded access to this lounge. In addition, SkyTeam Elite Plus members (including FlyingBlue Gold and Platinum) are also eligible for access. As far as I was aware, there is no possibility to purchase access to the lounge.

Location

Past the immigration and security checkpoints, there will be a clear sign pointing to the Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge located on level 2. Just by the duty-free shops are several escalators that take you to this floor, where you’ll also find the airport’s food court. From here, make a U-turn and walk straight to the end of level 2, where you’ll find the entrance to the Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge. To make it even easier, there are also cardboard cutouts of a Vietnam Airlines flight attendant pointing to the location of the lounge.

Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge 1

There is a reception desk right by the door, where the friendly lounge attendant took two scans of my boarding pass. On this occasion, I had access by virtue of my Vietnam Airlines Business Class ticket, although flying in Economy Class with an Elite Plus card would also suffice. Right, behind the reception desk, by the corridor to the toilets is a small locker wall. Funnily, it looked like any ordinary closet and I didn’t see anyone using the lockers during my 6-hour stay.

Lounge Seating and Amenities

Sofa Seating

The Lotus Lounge 1 is composed essentially of a large L-shaped room. Towards the area near the entrance, there are rows of sofa chairs – in particular, the ones by the wall are semi-enclosed in cubicles that feature a small bamboo garden. These chairs are surprisingly low and were quite uncomfortable to sit on, in my opinion. Combined with the relatively high tables, I didn’t really like the setup here when it comes to working or eating. Power outlets are available on the floor.

There are also sofa chairs by the windows that view the apron and the gates. I imagine these would be the preferred seating area for aviation geeks and the like. However, do note that the chairs in this area do get a bit warm during the day since the sun shines directly onto here. Next to this is also a row of high-top seating, which feature power outlets conveniently placed under the table.

Dining Seating

Whereas the ‘outer ring’ is entirely composed of sofa chairs, the ‘inner ring’ surrounding the food spread is lined with dining tables seating two people. Due to the height of the dining chairs, I found these chairs to be a lot more comfortable for eating and working, and this is likewise reflected by the number of people using these tables during my stay.

However, due to their proximity to each other, I did find these tables to be a bit too open and would not be preferable to those wanting quietness.

Massage Chair

At the furthest corner of the lounge is a single massage chair that is free to use. Interestingly, there is a final pair of sofa chairs located in this semi-partitioned area, which I think can be quite awkward.

Business Centre

Immediately behind the massage chair area is a small business centre, featuring four desktop computers and a printer. Interestingly, magazines and the like are also available throughout the lounge, if that’s something up your avenue.

Lounge Wifi

Since the lounge is semi-operated by the airport’s operator (SASCO), all the lounges at Tan Son Nhat Airport share one common network aptly called ‘Lounge’. The network is accessed by one simple password pasted on the tabletop all over the lounge. The speeds were fine, although the connection is can be quite lacking in certain parts of the lounge.

Dining

The food options consist solely of a single buffet located along the interior wall of the lounge. Virtually the entire hot food spread features only Vietnamese dishes, which was mediocre. Most of the hot food was more lukewarm than hot, although I did find certain things more appealing than others. Amongst the options during my visit included: congee, beef pho, fried Basa fish, Vietnamese fried noodles, veal sausage, savoury sticky rice, braised pork, and stir-fried vegetables.

Next to this, there is also a selection of cold foods like, spring rolls, bread, cold cuts, salad, cut fruits, and a few Vietnamese cakes and desserts. Out of this, I appreciated that they have a few interesting fruits like dragonfruit, passionfruit, and white guava.

The drink options are a bit more limited, although nothing bad compared to certain lounges in the region. In addition to water, there is a selection of soft drinks in the chiller and a few more from the dispenser. Alcoholic drinks included beer, four kinds of wine, and four bottles of liquor. There is also orange juice, tea, and coffee. A coffee machine is technically in place, although it wasn’t working during my visit.

Toilets and Shower

The toilets are accessed by going through a corridor wedged between the reception desk and the drinks area. Whilst they are a bit dark the toilets are otherwise clean and well-kept. Nicely enough, the toilets are equipped with a Japanese-style bidet, which is convenient.

Just behind the toilet stalls, in the same area, are also two shower cubicles. The shower cubicles are separated by a partition/door similar to the toilet stalls, which reminded me a lot of a high-school gymnasium shower. Sadly they didn’t have their own en-suite toilets, which would’ve made all the difference. However, it is serviceable and clean.

Overall

Overall, I think the Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge 1 is a perfectly serviceable lounge. It is honestly not going to win any awards, but the lounge has enough amenities to make it a convenient place to spend time before a flight. Assuming Vietnam Airlines has still further aspirations as an airline, it would honestly be very nice if they’d renovate this lounge – like what they did with the Lotus Lounge 2, but on a slightly bigger scale.

Read more from this trip here!