The Vietnam Airlines Lotus (Business Class) Lounge at Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport is located in their international departures terminal. It’s located upstairs adjacent to gate 28 and is open to premium cabin passengers and elite members of SkyTeam partner airlines and other airlines such as Cathay Pacific, EVA Air and Singapore Airlines. The lounge is open from 6:00 AM to 2:00 AM daily. *According to reader David – You can now pay $30 USD for a day pass.
The lounge itself is not very large but it looks like they are in the process of expanding it. The balcony style lounge is one open room that looks down onto the boarding gates below. Directly behind the reception desk is a small luggage storage area. There are several lockers large enough for your roll-aboards and other carry-ons that can be locked with a key and several open shelves if the lockers are all used.
Behind the luggage storage area is a small business center with PC computers, a printer, fax machine, scanner and copier. It’s not a very large space nor a quiet place for that matter but it is a private little area to work if you need it.
The main seating area of the lounge is open and spacious but the decor felt a little dated. There are no walls, nooks or private areas to the lounge but there is a variety of seating from low armchairs to recliners and couches. The main seating area lacked partitions to provide defined spaces but that created an open feel to the small lounge. They did not make boarding announcements from the lounge but there were plenty of flight information display boards around. For entertainment, there were several TVs with various programming located throughout the lounge.
There are large windows that allow for a lot of natural light and views of the ramp and runway below.
There is a self-serve buffet area with a selection of hot and cold dishes including traditional Asian cuisine such as fried rice, chicken curry and a pho station and cold items such as salads, fruits and sushi rolls. There is an alcohol station with a decent selection of wines, beers and spirits and a bartender to mix those drinks for you.
There’s also an enclosed smoking room and a relaxation room with several massage chairs. Even though the two rooms were adjacent to each other, the air filtration system did a good job and there was no smell of cigarette smoke leaking into the main lounge or the relaxation room next door.
Other lounge amenities include password protected WiFi and showers. As far as the showers go, don’t expect anything fancy. Think less Cathay Pacific cabana rooms and more like gym showers. The showers are stocked with bar soaps, shampoos, dental hygiene and shave kits. It’s nothing special but I can’t complain too much, I’m just glad there were showers here especially for people who spent the day touring Hanoi and catching one of the many late night flights out. I’m talking about you French people to Paris.
Overall, the Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge at Hanoi is nothing to write home about but it is a nice place to rest and relax before your flight. The lounge is small but comfortable and at no time did I feel it was too crowded. There was a good selection and variety of seating and I’m glad there were areas where you could kick back and relax. One of my biggest lounge design pet peeves is when a lounge doesn’t offer any recliners or other areas to lay down. Even though there were no “day rooms” per se, I did appreciate the recliners and massage chairs where I got to kick my feet up for a bit. The food was decent and offered a good selection of traditional Asian dishes. The shower scene was a little depressing but I’m just grateful for showers in a lounge.
The other reviews in this series include:
- I’m booked on the Vietnam Airlines A350!
- Don’t be like me and screw up an award booking
- Korean Airlines SkyTeam Lounge at LAX
- Korean Airlines A380 business class from Los Angeles to Seoul
- Korean Airlines Prestige (business class) Lounge at Seoul
- KAL Lounge at Seoul Satellite Concourse
- Vietnam Airlines A330 business class Seoul to Hanoi
- Hilton Hanoi Opera
- Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge at Hanoi
- Vietnam Airlines A350 business class Hanoi to Paris
