Ha Giang
Hanoi
Ho Chi Minh City
Ha Long
Sapa
Mekong Delta
Da Nang
Hue
Hoi An
Ninh Binh
Da Lat
Nha Trang
Phan Thiet
Phu Quoc
Quang Binh
Quy Nhon
Vung Tau
Thai Nguyen
Avoiding airport headaches at SGN Airport in Ho Chi Minh CityWe had a scheduled 7:50pm flight and leaving out of SGN has been giving me the heebie-jeebies. Why? The lines, the queue, the crowd were known to be problematic. Many have missed their flights despite getting to the airport early.We said NO to Fast Track ServiceThere are skip the line services being offered for up to $35 per person that gets you in somewhat of a priority. Multiply that x 6 members our family = we are talking over $200. I’ve seen them as low as $20..It has nothing to do with being cheap, I just didn’t want to give in to a system that should work without having to pay a premium.This is how it went:2:20pm – We took a Grab car service to SGN2:55pm – arrived at SGNWe knew we were early and just didn’t want to risk getting stuck in Friday traffic.The Singapore Airlines ticket counter was scheduled to open at 4:50pm4:00pm – we lined up our belongings, we were first in line (anyone shocked?)4:15pm – other passengers started to line up4:50pm – ticket counter opened and checked in all six of us5:05pm – we were all checked in with boarding passes in handThe fun begins5:05-5:45 – long lines to get our passports checked5:50 – 6:05pm – we got through security6:20pm – Priority Pass Lounge (victory party)We saved over $200.My suggestion. Get there early. Be prepared. That’s all.
DiscussionAvoiding airport headaches at SGN Airport in Ho Chi Minh City
Vetted field logs
From the field
Avoiding airport headaches at SGN Airport in Ho Chi Minh CityWe had...
Avoiding airport headaches at SGN Airport in Ho Chi Minh City
Tiếng Việt
한국어
中文 (中国)
日本語
ไทย
Deutsch
Español
Destinations
Instagram
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Threads
Tiktok
I hate VN for this reason! But since I travel alone, I always have to bribe the guy to let me skip the line. So for me it’s only 30 mins or less.
We flew from Saigon last week. No issue at all, checked in, passport, security, all in less than an hour.
We used the fast track service 2 weeks ago and it only cost $100aud for all 6 of us. 15mins total from check in to Burger King.
Departure is never a problem at any Vietnam Airport. Even if its crowded and your boarding time is close, the airlines people will walk around raising a board with your flight # and ask for the ones from that flight to follow them, so the flight can leave on time ( assuming you have check in luggage and your luggage is already on the plane. They don’t want to unload your luggage if you dont make it (for security reason) i saw that all the time.
Sad!
How bad is it doing a domestic flight?
I have always commented that ‘fast tracking’ is not needed. Plan and be early when leaving. Upon arrival, the lines always move quickly. Unfortunately it is all the talk around ‘fast tracking’ that people then feel that ‘they must have it!. Save your money.
We arrived two hours before our domestic flight. Line was crazy long. Asked a staff member if that was our line, he offered to take us to fast lane for $16aus for the 3 of us. Walked us straight to the front and off we went. For international, arriving early is definitely the key to no lines. We used fast track on arrival and it was great to have someone greet us and take us through everything as we are not big OS travelers. It was especially good for our 18 year old daughter as she arrived alone.
I would spend a few days vacationing in other nearby Asian cities before entering VN via DaNang or Nha Trang or Phu Quoc international airports. Immigration line tends to be much shorter. Totally agree with you. Such an embarrassment when compared to the immigration lines at BKK, MNL, KUL
Agreed