Review: the Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh)

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This is our review of the Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.

It is the penultimate part to this series on Vietnam, with only the Vietnam Airlines business class review to follow (click here for that). You can read my earlier reviews of premium economy on Vietnam Airlines, the Hilton Hanoi Opera, a Halong Bay cruise, the MGallery by Sofitel Royal Hoi An and a review of the Sailing Club Resort Mui Ne.

As a reminder, Vietnam Airlines provided all flights and accommodation for me and my plus one whilst HfP paid for all its incidental expenses.

The lounge at Tan Son Nhat Airport, Ho Chi Minh City

Tan Son Nhat Airport is the international airport serving Ho Chi Minh City. It is divided into two terminals: domestic and international. This review is of the Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge in Terminal 2, the international side.

Finding the Lotus Lounge is very easy: it is almost directly above security and accessible via escalators. Click any photo to enlarge:

Here is the entrance:

The Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge

The Lotus Lounge is in a sort of L shape and stretches around a corner. My flight was at 00:45 so it was dark outside, but I can imagine it being wonderfully light during the day given the floor-to ceiling windows on two sides:

and

There is a range of seating, including tables, bar stools and these little private nooks:

I took most of these photos after 11pm, when the lounge started emptying out. It reached peak business at around 9:30pm, when most tables and seats were occupied. By the time we left for the gate, at midnight, it was almost empty.

There is also a business centre with computers and a massage chair:

The toilets come with two showers as well, which can be booked. They were empty during my visit, so there is unlikely to be a queue.

Towels, razors and all sorts of amenities are available upon request.

There were a range of drinks on offer, including a wide selection of juices (I had lychee) although the alcohol selection was a little sad looking …..

Then came the food, which was disappointing. There were a lot of rice and noodle heavy dishes which didn’t look particularly appealing.

The highlight of the food offering is probably the pho, but even this came with some weird reconstituted pork balls rather than the traditional beef and chicken.

Take a look at this slightly creepy emoji coffee jelly:

Magazine stations are dotted around the lounge although none of these looked particularly compelling – no big name English language titles that I could see:

Conclusion

For a flagship airline lounge at a major airport I was surprised at how small the Lotus Lounge was. Despite this, however, it was never as busy as the British Airways Galleries lounges at Heathrow Terminal 5, and I was there during what I would assume is the busiest period for international departures.

The range of different seating areas can accommodate guests with different needs although there is little privacy.

Despite a disappointing spread of food and alcoholic drinks, the Lotus Lounge has decent amenities including showers, for which there was no queue. As a place to while away a few hours away from the crowds in the airport it gets the job done.

In the final part of this review, which will appear later this week, I look at Vietnam Airlines business class.

Getting airport lounge access for free from a credit card

How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, here are the three options to get FREE airport lounge access via a credit or charge card:

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,300 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Plaza Premium, Delta and Eurostar lounges. Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with two free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £20. You get two more free visits for every year you keep the card.

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus. Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A huge bonus, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free LoungeKey card, allowing you access to the LoungeKey network. Guests are charged at £20 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £195 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer. Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.