The Le Saigonnais lounge in the domestic zone of Saigon airport offers a very pretty setting but average catering. In the end, it’s better than the official Vietnam Airlines lounge in this terminal.
My flight to Hanoi departed from the end of the terminal opposite the Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge, where I was initially staying. Finding this first lounge uninteresting and even moderately pleasant, I thought I’d try out this priority pass lounge located right next to my boarding gate.
You’ll find at the bottom of the page a summary of the articles about this vacation in Vietnam.
Location of the lounge
Once you’ve cleared security, a long corridor takes you into the terminal. The latter is lengthwise, and you’re at one end, where you’ll find the Vietnam Airlines lounge. Well, the Le Saigonnais lounge is at the opposite end of the terminal.
It is therefore very close to some gates and far from others, but the walking distance is still reasonable.
If you fly business class with Vietnam Airlines or are an Elite member of its frequent flyer program, you can use both.
Access to the lounge
As you can see from this photo, it’s open to many people.
Access is therefore available to Business and Elite passengers from just about every airline using this terminal, Vietnam Airlines included, which is surprising since they have their own lounge, and many credit cards (mainly local and not theAmex Platinum), and other cards such as Plaza Premium or Priority Pass.
Lounge layout
It has two rooms and a rather colonial style.
The first is quite large, organized around the buffet.
And a second, more intimate one, with more widely spaced tables, organized around a central island with vegetation.
That’s where I’ll be seating.
Overall, this lounge is much more attractive than the Vietnam Airlines lounge, so much so that I regret not having moved here sooner.
Catering
The buffet is quite large.
As in the Vietnam Airlines lounge, there are hot and cold dishes, exclusively local. On the other hand, there’s no improvement compared to the Vietnam Airlines lounge: the dishes are almost exclusively the same. In fact, it seems that the same catering company handles both lounges.
The beverage offer, consisting of a few soft drinks and beers, is even more mediocre than in the Vietnam Airlines lounge.
Strange as it may seem, this buffet made a better (or less bad) impression on me than the Vietnam Airlines lounge. Perhaps it’s simply because the lounge itself made a better impression, and it felt less like a cold station concourse with no personality.
I’ll eat some chicken. Decent, but nothing more.
Facilities
The lounge has toilets and computer workstations, but no showers.
Atmosphere
Much calmer and more peaceful than the Vietnam Airlines lounge. Firstly because it was less crowded (I think people flock to the first lounge they find) and secondly because the setting is much more pleasant.
Bottom line
Although the food and beverage offer remains rather mediocre, the Le Saigonnais lounge in Saigon’s domestic terminal is infinitely nicer and more pleasant than the Vietnam Airlines lounge in the same terminal.
The articles about this vacation in Vietnam
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