Tokyo/Vietnam July 2011 - Vietnam Airlines 1353 Economy Class (CXR - SGN)

***This post is part 18 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

This will be a very quick post as much of the flight was very similar to the two previous domestic Vietnam Airlines routes I took. We grabbed a taxi from the Sheraton to Cam Ranh International Airport about 20 miles outside of Nha Trang. Despite it's small size, CXR is a very modern-looking airport, having been completely rebuit in 2004. The facility has plenty of amenities for passengers, with a number of places to eat and shop. Security was very quick as usual, and soon we were in the waiting area next to Gate 1.

Vietnam Airlines 1353

Airbus A320
Cam Ranh (CXR) - Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
Friday July 15, 2011
Departure: 9:30 AM (scheduled)

Arrival: 10:25 AM (scheduled)

Duration: 0h 55m (scheduled)
Seat: 9A (Economy)

I was happy to see that we would finally be boarding via jet bridge and not the typical two-minute bus ride out onto the tarmac. The Airbus A320 we were taking that day, however, looked fairly old and rough around the edges. The seats were a bit worn, though it really didn't matter on this short 55-minute hop to Ho Chi Minh City.

Take-off was uneventful, and the bottled water that I knew and loved was quickly distributed. Service was efficient and courteous. As quickly as we ascended, we were soon descending into Tan Son Nhat International Airport. It was actually kind of nice to see a huge sprawling metropolis (complete with skyscrapers) for the first time in almost two weeks. It was also nice to see some familiar faces... at least for my friend, since a bunch of his relatives were waiting at the airport to pick us up.

Goodbye Nha Trang

Hello Saigon!