Plane ticket to VietNam

[Kevin and 10]

wow...i just check again Feb 5 - 27 via minneapolis and tokyo on nwa is only $857 w/tax too!!

Bring a coat, its cold up here in Feb.

[Matt_Stevens 5]

We are looking at going to Vietnam for January/Feb. Anh's brother is getting married, we have the date, so we want to arrive about five to seven days in advance to acclimate and stay maybe three weeks in all. We don't care who we fly through, as long as it is cheap. Unfortunately, United is very expensive right now, so I won't be able to go with them and then use miles to upgrade.

Delta and NW both have good one stop deals under $900 at the moment, but they go up a buck or two each day. We can't book until October 15, so hopefully the prices will still be under $900 at that time.

My problem is that I am tall and have never made that long of a trip in coach/economy. I'll have to snag exit row seating or at worst, economy plus aisle, otherwise I will be in big trouble with my bad back. Anh doesn't care because she's so darned tiny. She'll easily sleep the entire journey. Not me. I won't sleep a wink.

[Kevin&Loan 0]

Me neither and that is the hardest part. I could never put myself to sleep while flying. What always happened to me was I would fall asleep and woke up thinking that a good few hours had passed already but heck no, only 10-15 minutes top. Then I would fall asleep again and woke up again only to my disappointment that it was just another 15 minutes. The whole thing would repeat over and over till I land.

Also, while in flight, they would show you on the big screen the fly path and its progress. The more I try not to look at it, the more my eyes are glued to it. The screen is as big as a 40" TV and the plane is as small as a pea in it and the dram thing just won't me in inch. Yuck!!!

Years ago in the last century when airlines were still profitable and they were able to afford to fly transcontinental with the plane half full, I would be able to find one entire empty row and lay down during the whole fly. Those days are long gone. Plane is packed like tuna can now.

Now, all that hassle and tireness is gone very very quickly as soon as the plane touches down in Tan San Nhat. I feel like I am a whole new man. Full of energy and ready to rock the town. The noise of the honks, motorcylcles, people, the air, the oven hot weather, the food, the asmostphere, the everything about Saigon is unique and can't be found elsewhere in this world and that's what I love about it. I am alive when I am in Saigon.

Coming back is another story though. Sharply contrast with the excitement of going, leaving is so dragging, sad and boring. Can't sleep the night before. Packing is like getting ready for concertration camp. The taxi ride from the hotel to the airport is long long and long and I do not want it to get to its final destination though. The bustling and chaos sence at the airport I once loved three weeks ago now is hell on earth to fight through that sea of people just to be able to get inside the terminal. The the flight back with all the lay-overs, the sleeplessness is just only the beginning of the journey back to real earth. Back to Houston at almost midnight on Sunday with only a few hours to rest before report back to work on Monday morning with headaches and jet lag.

But I still love going to VN and I jump to the chance of going everytime. What can I say, I just love the place I once called motherland ...

[lindal24 1]

You guys should try flying Singapore Air. Going is one story, but coming back I had 3 seats to myself. The flight was practically empty!!

I never have jetlag going. Coming back, I've flown East to West and West to East. I have a theory that flying East to West coming home (from VN to US) helps tremendously with the jetlag. I usually jump right back into action. Flying the opposite way...I need at least a week to recover!

Edited September 24, 2009 by lindal24

[Matt_Stevens 5]

Jetlag murders me. I have tried everything under the sun to fight it or cure it, but it just ruins me. When I went to Vietnam it was beyond horrid. By one week in I was barely able to keep my eyes open past 8 PM their time. I told Anh I had to get some sleep and went to bed at one point around 7 and got up 10 the next morning. Took a sleeping pill to knock me out so I would sleep all the way through.

The first time I went to Europe I mess the entire 16 days.

When I fly this time I will spend a few days prior trying to alter my clock, getting up super early and going to bed super early. I'll have to get Ambien or something to help me with this.

My wife adapts after 48 hours at most.

[BinhJerome 14]

Jetlag murders me. I have tried everything under the sun to fight it or cure it, but it just ruins me. When I went to Vietnam it was beyond horrid. By one week in I was barely able to keep my eyes open past 8 PM their time. I told Anh I had to get some sleep and went to bed at one point around 7 and got up 10 the next morning. Took a sleeping pill to knock me out so I would sleep all the way through.

The first time I went to Europe I mess the entire 16 days.

When I fly this time I will spend a few days prior trying to alter my clock, getting up super early and going to bed super early. I'll have to get Ambien or something to help me with this.

My wife adapts after 48 hours at most.

When I went to the Ukraine I had bad jet lag, when I went to Vietnam both times I stayed up almost all night long. Maybe 1 or 2 hours of sleep at most before I got onto the plane, then I tried to stay awake as long as possible by moving around and such. This way when I got to Vietnam it was already about midnight so when we got to the hotel I went right to sleep got up the next morning and I was good to go.

Jerome

[Matt_Stevens 5]

I've tried that and it backfired. I am somewhat of an insomiac so that really hurts me.

[ScottThuy 140]

A word to everyone here.. when you are doing that long leg of the flight.. get up and walk around a few times and stretch. In December I got a DVT behind my left knee and when I got to the US my leg swelled up due to the clot. This could have been the death of me and I always get up and stretch whenever I can on flights.... That area in the back by the toilets is a great area to stretch and get the circulation in your legs back to speed.

[lindal24 1]

What's DVT? My arm's been killing me since I've gotten back, but it hasn't swelled up or anything...

[ScottThuy 140]

Deep Vein thrombosis.. in a nutshell a clot blocking the return of blood from that limb... take an aspirin to thin the blood... soak in a hot tub...

[BinhJerome 14]

A word to everyone here.. when you are doing that long leg of the flight.. get up and walk around a few times and stretch. In December I got a DVT behind my left knee and when I got to the US my leg swelled up due to the clot. This could have been the death of me and I always get up and stretch whenever I can on flights.... That area in the back by the toilets is a great area to stretch and get the circulation in your legs back to speed.

I always get isle seats so that I can hang out there. I get claustrophobic some what, don't get panic attacks, just have to go pee a bunch and get frustrated easily when I am in a confined space. I also try to go near the toilets on flights just so I am already close to stand up there.

[Matt_Stevens 5]

Getting aisle or especially Exit Row seating is now increasingly difficult because of how crowded the planes are these days. My best friend just flew to Europe and despite choosing Exit Row two months in advance and confirming the night before his flight, when he got to the airport he was given a middle seat and no choice in the matter. They just moved him because that is what they do.

Whatever happens to us happens. I'll likely be able to get aisle simply because I am flying with Anh and when you have two people, it's much easier to get aisle for one of you. We're going in January, no matter what, so I'll have to deal with economy class as best I can. I'll have a bottle of aspirin with me, of course. Not taking any chances.

Edited September 25, 2009 by Matt_Stevens

[Kevin&Loan 0]

I always get aisle seat. That way, I can get up and move around from time to time. When I sit down, I can stretch my feet out into the aisle as well but by doing that, my feet got stepped on your bumped by the food cart all the time

[Matt_Stevens 5]

It's my goal to disrupt the aisle every time.

[BinhJerome 14]

Getting aisle or especially Exit Row seating is now increasingly difficult because of how crowded the planes are these days. My best friend just flew to Europe and despite choosing Exit Row two months in advance and confirming the night before his flight, when he got to the airport he was given a middle seat and no choice in the matter. They just moved him because that is what they do.

Whatever happens to us happens. I'll likely be able to get aisle simply because I am flying with Anh and when you have two people, it's much easier to get aisle for one of you. We're going in January, no matter what, so I'll have to deal with economy class as best I can. I'll have a bottle of aspirin with me, of course. Not taking any chances.

Tell them you have a reason for Isle seating. I do it all the time, tell them my right leg is messed up and it needs to be able to stretch out. Each time it works for me. Remember you are the customer, if you say there is a reason why you need something they will usually give it to you.

Jerome