- Planning A Trip To Vietnam (And Maybe Beyond)
- Introduction: Vietnam, Laos, & Cambodia
- Review: Park Hyatt Saigon
- Cu Chi Tunnels: What You Need To Know About Visiting These Vietnam War Sites
- Nam Nghi Phu Quoc Review (A Hyatt Unbound Collection Property)
- Airbnb Review: Orchid House Hoi An
- Visiting Hoi An, Vietnam: Delightfully Touristy (No, Really!)
- Review: Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel
- Visiting Hanoi, Vietnam: 6 Things I Loved (And You Might Too)
- Review: Song Hong Business Lounge Hanoi Airport (Priority Pass)
- Lao Airlines ATR 72 Hanoi To Luang Prabang
- Review: Satri House Hotel Luang Prabang
- Visiting Luang Prabang, Laos: Social Responsibility In A Tourist Mecca
- Applying For A Cambodia E-Visa With A US Passport
- Review: Park Hyatt Siem Reap
- Angkor: Practical Tips For Visiting The Ancient City
- Cambodia Angkor Air ATR 72 Siem Reap To Phnom Penh
- Phnom Penh, Cambodia: I’m In Love
- Raffles Hotel Le Royal Phnom Penh Review
The next stop on our itinerary was to be Luang Prabang, in Laos. Vietnam Airlines operates a direct flight between Hanoi and Luang Prabang, but their mid-day flight only operates 5x per week. Laos Airlines, meanwhile, has a daily flight in the evening (around 7PM), which was more convenient anyway.
On the flip side (and I didn’t realize this at the time of booking), Laos Airlines has a ludicrous check-in cutoff of two hours prior to an international flight. Which would be one thing if they offered online check-in, but is quite another when you have to physically be at the airport two and a half hours before a 60-minute flight.
Fortunately, the international terminal at Hanoi airport has a nice Priority Pass lounge, which is easy to access with a credit card with lounge access.
The “Song Hong Business Lounge” is after security, on the 4th floor above gate 28. The Vietnam Airline Business class lounge is right next door, and the signage was easy to follow.
The Song Hong lounge is open from 6AM to 2AM, and was in a bright open space with windows looking over the apron.
The lounge was subdivided into several sections, each with different styles of seating (including some chaises that aren’t pictured, as they were occupied the entire time).
The lounge centered around a buffet, which had an assortment of hot and cold items.
For a small lounge, the selection was decent, and the items we sampled were of good quality.
In keeping with our time in Vietnam, there were special Tet treats as well.
And there were a variety of desserts and fruits as well.
There was a small selection of alcoholic beverages, which included some Vietnamese wines.
There were a few fresh juices as well, along with some infused water:
The lounge bathrooms were large, and nicely appointed, and had shower rooms as well.
Overall, it was a nice lounge, with fast enough Wifi to make video calls, and plenty of outlets. I always appreciate natural light, so especially enjoyed the large windows, and it was a pleasant place to spend a couple of hours.
Accessing Priority Pass lounges
In the U.S. at least, several credit cards offer a Priority Pass membership as part of your card benefits.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
And if your home market doesn’t offer a credit card which includes Priority Pass, you can purchase a membership directly.
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Business Platinum® Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees).
I just used this lounge in June 2023. The food and everything about the lounge is by far and away 25x better than the prepackaged and bland food you get in US Lounges. I also appreciated the standalone air conditioning fans they have in the lounge. If you sit near one the temperature is perfectly fine.
It is a good airport & Song Hong Business Lounge... I have been through it a few times..I've always been a fan of Hanoi airport. Moderate volume, great food and classy passengers.
Had a 4 hour layover here on the way to Thailand. Very nice lounge. Air conditioning was remarkably bad that day. Was in the mid 80s in the lounge.
Tiffany, I'm really loving this trip report series! I've always known Vietnam to be beautiful, but your reports also depict a much more modern culture than I expected. I've never lusted for food so much as I have in this series. Truly spectacular looking culinary culture.
Keep up the good work! I can't wait to hear more about your travels and experiencing different cultures.
The BMO World Elite MasterCard gives you membership and 4 free visits per year to LoungePass lounges which are often Priority Pass lounges as well. (Changed from Priority Pass last year).
@kevin... You could ask the same question of USA Airlines.
Why does it seem like the international priority pass lounges, not to mention even airline branded ones, get what consumers want and deserve vs the US ones which are crappy. It's like a 180 when comparing the international version with the dated US ones.
Hi Stephany,
Does infant count as 1? I will be there I my mother, wife and 1 yr old baby, wonder if that is 3 guests or 2
@ DannyD -- It depends on the lounge (this one says "Children under 5 years are admitted free"), but as a best practice I'd suggest making your wife an authorized user on one of your cards that gives a Priority Pass membership to her as well, that way you're covered regardless.
@Tiffany, how did you get from downtown Hanoi to the airport and how long did it take? I'm trying to plan it out for my trip later this year. I'll be on Cathay Dragon to HKG.
@ Grant -- I'd pre-ordered a car through Blacklane, and it took about 25 minutes on a Sunday afternoon with little traffic.
The food looks great - I get hungry just looking at it! Great report!
@Tiffany was there a change with the number of guests allowed for Hilton Aspire. I remember when the card first came out, it was only for one free guest entry to PP lounge. Thank you in advance for your reply. The photos look lovely.
You should mention the automated Japanese style toto toilets as well!
We used the Vietnam Airlines Lotus lounge next door - it had a better decor in my view. However Song Hong F and B looks a lot better. The Lotus lounge had no alcoholic drink save for beer (lunch time).
If there’s one flight tripreport I would love to see in this series, it would be Lao Airlines. Not sure if you’re doing one or not, but I hope so since Ben haven’t flown with them and more ‘exotic’ airlines here is great !
Will be there tomorrow!!