How early do you need to be at the Vietnam airport?

How early should I arrive for Vietjet?

Two hours for domestic. Like showing up for Thanksgiving dinner two hours early. Your aunt will definitely give you the side-eye. Three hours for international. Might as well bring a tent. And snacks. Lots of snacks.

• Domestic: Two hours early. Think airport yoga. Maybe learn to juggle.
• International: Three hours. Write your memoirs. Contemplate the meaning of life.

Counter closes 40 minutes before domestic takeoff. 50 minutes for international. They ain’t messing around. Seriously. Don’t be that person sprinting through the airport like you’re in a Home Alone movie. It never ends well. Especially if you’re not Macaulay Culkin.

Pro tip: My friend Barry once missed a Vietjet flight ’cause he was busy arguing with a vending machine. True story. Don’t be Barry.

• Check-in opens: 2 hours (domestic), 3 hours (international).
• Check-in closes: 40 mins (domestic), 50 mins (international).

Seriously, though, check the flight status. Websites. Apps. Carrier pigeons. Smoke signals. Whatever works. Delays happen. My flight to Phu Quoc last week…oy vey. Let’s just say I spent six hours staring at a departure board that lied to me. Repeatedly.

How long is the wait at the Vietnam airport?

Vietnam airports, huh? That’s a lottery, my friend, a real roll of the dice. Depends if the travel gods are smiling.

Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) is supposedly top-notch (BusiScore: 10/10), but expect 30-45 minutes. More like forever if you’re hangry. I swear, my grandma moves faster.

Hanoi (HAN), scored an 8/10. Maybe 20-30 minutes. That’s quicker, sure. Still enough time to write a novel though, haha.

Da Nang (DAD) and Nha Trang (NHA) are speedier, rated 6/10 and 5/10, respectively. Wait less than 20 minutes, they say. Like finding a parking spot downtown on Saturday…miracles happen.

• BusiScore? Sounds like a game my nephew plays.
• Airport waits feel longer than dentist waits, tbh.
• Bring snacks! You’ll thank me later, promise.
• “Often less than 20 minutes” can mean anything.
• My neighbor waited 2 hrs in Ho Chi Minh! Yikes.
• Travel times are subjective, like, ya know, opinions.
• I’m headed to Nha Trang next month. Wish me luck!

How early do you need to be at Hanoi airport?

Ugh, Hanoi airport!

Let me tell you, my flight to Bangkok last June… a total mess.

I was flying Vietjet, cheap but yeah, stressful. Arrived barely 2 hours before. Bad move.

Noi Bai was PACKED. I swear, every tourist in Southeast Asia was there.

The check-in line snaked like a hungry anaconda. My heart? Pounding.

Online check-in? Thought I did it but somehow it didn’t register. BIG mistake.

Panic set in. Missed my flight? Unacceptable.

Finally made it through security with like, 30 mins to spare. Barely time for a lukewarm coffee! Three hours early next time, absolutely. Learned my lesson.

About Noi Bai (HAN), okay, here’s the deal.

• Domestic: Honestly, 2 hours should be enough if you’ve checked in online. But seriously, 2.5 just to be safe.
• International: 3 hours minimum. No question. Seriously, just do it.
• Peak times: Holidays? Weekends? Add another hour. Trust me.
• Vietjet/Bamboo Airways: Budget airlines. Expect longer lines. And more chaos.
• Online Check-in: Actually do it. Double check it worked. Screenshot it.

Noi Bai’s Duty free sucks. FYI.

How much time do you need at Hanoi Airport?

Two hours… domestic. Three… if you’re leaving Vietnam. Stare at the ceiling. Echoes in this quiet house. Noi Bai… been there a few times. Last time was… March. Going to see my sister. In Seoul. Three hours felt like forever. Just sitting there. Thinking.

• Two hours minimum for domestic flights. Remember that.
• Three hours minimum for international flights. It’s a long wait.
• Online check-in helps. Skipped the line last time. Still felt like forever.

Empty coffee cup on my nightstand. Cold now. Should get up. Sister’s coming next month. Maybe we’ll go somewhere. Not Hanoi again. Maybe Da Nang. Beach would be nice. Just the two of us. Haven’t seen her in a while. Since March. Time moves differently now. Slower.

• Noi Bai is… big. Lots of people. Get there early. Seriously.
• Coffee there is expensive. Bring your own. Like I did. In March. Seoul was… different. Busy. Like Hanoi. Different kind of busy.
• They have those little shops… after security. Bought a book. Never read it. Still in my bag. Somewhere.

Clock’s ticking. Loud in the quiet. Early morning flight. Not Noi Bai this time. Tan Son Nhat. Ho Chi Minh. Different airport. Same feeling though. Waiting. Always waiting.

How long should it take to get through airport security?

Ten minutes. Ghosting through the scanners. Like a whisper. Fifteen minutes. The slow drag of time. A molasses river. Watching bags tumble. Lost in the conveyor belt’s hum. My boarding pass, clutched tight. A paper talisman. Philadelphia International. Last Tuesday. The sun, a pale disc through the high windows. Cold fluorescence. The shuffle, the sigh. Waiting. Always waiting. The plastic bins. Empty vessels. Shoes off. Laptop out. The ritual. A silent prayer for swift passage. Twenty minutes sometimes. A choked eternity. Stuck behind the family of five. The baby crying. The toddler’s tantrum. A symphony of stress. But ten. Ten minutes is the dream. A fleeting phantom. The airport. A liminal space. Between here and there. Between now and then.

• 10-15 minutes: The average. The hoped-for benchmark.
• 20+ minutes: The reality. The creeping dread.
• Philadelphia International: My recent experience. Last Tuesday. Pale sunlight.
• Factors: Family size. Time of day. Airport size. Individual preparedness.
• The Ritual: Shoes off. Laptop out. Liquids in a baggie. The offering to the TSA gods.
• The Dream: A seamless flow. A whisper through security. Ten minutes. A phantom.