Small, messy, and with very poor offerings. Review Lotus Lounge Vietnam Airlines Hanoi
Passing through Hanoi, before boarding my flight to Paris I popped into the lotus lounge, room [...]
Passing through Hanoi before boarding my flight to Paris, I popped into the lotus lounge, Vietnam Airlines' VIP lounge. I was curious to compare it with the nearby XXXX and its sister in Ho Chi Min.
In this article:
If the one from the former Saigon didn't blow me away, this one, on the other hand, really disappointed me.
Location
The lounges at this airport are located on the floor above the gates. VN's lounge adjoins the terminal's only independent waiting room.
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Access
This lounge is accessible to all business class passengers of Vietnam Airlines, elite status holders in the Lotus Club, the flag carrier's frequent flyer club, and all Skypriority passengers since VN is a Skyteam alliance participant.
The hall
As pre the nearby XXX is an open terminal hall that faces the runway. The advantage of this configuration is lots of light, but often more noise than closed ones with a real ceiling.
As is often the case when inside lounges, fill rates can change in a matter of minutes.
I arrived that it was virtually deserted, neat and with plenty of seats available, and less than 10 minutes later it felt like I was on a train carriage leaving New Delhi.
The hall is one large open space, and when crowded it gets really noisy.
Compared to what I found in Ho Chi Min, I must say that the decor was even more lived-in and spartan.
The only more secluded area is the VIP lounge dedicated to miion milers, a mythological figure in the world of frequent flyers.
I know I'm a pain in the ass, but I would ban people who put their feet in my shoes on the coffee table where I'm supposed to eat for life, although I have to admit that given some experiences I prefer it when they keep their shoes on and are not barefoot.
Services
There are two massage chairs, but they are in a condition pitiful, they look like they were bought at a furniture sale of a decommissioned lounge.
There is a micro-room where you can work on the PC, and then there are bathrooms and showers.
Food & Beverga
Here the quality of the offerings was definitely lower than in Ho Chi Min, probably what made the difference was not the products, but how everything was presented.
A sad, unkempt buffet, there was not even a trace of SGN's warmth and color here.
In conclusion
We are in the official lounge, of the national airline in the main airport. What can I say we are at the level of Air China's, but at least here the food was there, so it's not the worst, but it's close.
