International Le Saigonnais Lounge Ho Chi Minh City review: Quirky (but delicious)
My only real criticism of the International Le Saigonnais Business Class Lounge at the Ho Chi Minh City Airport (SGN) is its name. Not only is it a bit too fancy sounding for what it actually is, good luck trying to pronounce it if you don’t speak French.
The food is really good. It’s fairly quiet. The views of the airport (and the airplanes taking off in the distance) are amazing.
It’s really small though. It tends to get overcrowded at times. And don’t be surprised if the person sitting next to you leans over and shyly asks if you know how to pronounce “Le Saigonnais”.
| Overall Size of Lounge: |  |
| Variety of Food: |  |
| Quality of Food: |  |
| Selection of Alcohol: |  |
| Quietness / Privacy: | |
| Overall Rating: |  |
Location
You’ll find the Le Saigonnais Lounge for international passengers on the third level of Terminal 2. It’s located near gate 17, right across from the Vietnam Airlines International Lotus Lounge. Getting to it will take approximately 6 minutes (at an average walking pace) once you clear security.
How to get in
Business and first class passengers on all airlines other than Vietnam Airlines (and its SkyTeam partners) will get complementary access to this lounge. I was able to weasel my way in thanks to having a ticket in business class on Singapore Airlines down to Singapore.
Members of the following credit cards and lounge programs also get complementary access:
- American Express Platinum Card holders
- Priority Pass members
- Plaza Premium Lounge members
Layout (and features)
This is a fairly compact and condensed lounge. There’s not a lot of room to spread out in here, so don’t expect much in terms of privacy or peace and quiet during peak times.
There are large floor to ceiling windows along two walls that let in a good amount of natural light. This helps to make the space feel larger than it actually is.
There’s a small workstation area with several desktop computers and printers. The Wi-Fi was pretty good. Very fast, and easy to connect to. And there are showers available as well!
The overall vibe is somewhat dark and moody (but not as bad as, say, the Singapore Plaza Premium Lounge). It’s not creepy. At least if you stay out of the darkest corners.
Food and drinks
Food is by far the best feature of the International Le Saigonnais Lounge. Not only was there a lot of it, there was something for everyone. I wasn’t expecting such high-quality food for such a small (and somewhat generic) airport lounge.
Most of what was on the menu was loosely Vietnamese themed. If that’s not your thing, don’t worry. From breads and pastries to fruits and cheeses to creative desserts, even the pickiest of eaters will find something to nibble on. I promise.
The selection of alcohol was weak IMHO. This isn’t the lounge for you if your primary goal is to get absolutely sloshed on exotic cocktails before your flight.
Pros and cons
This is a good international business class lounge. Is it world class? Not even close. But as generic airport lounges go (which this Le Saigonnais Lounge definitely qualifies as), it’s absolutely worthy of a visit. Especially if you’re hungry.
Pros
- The staff were super friendly and very helpful. They all looked as if they really enjoyed working there.
- The selection of food was really good. I’d say it was a 50-50 balance of hot food and cold food.
- This is an excellent lounge for planespotting. You’ll have an excellent view of both the terminal and runway.
Cons
- It’s a very small space, resulting in fairly condensed seating areas.
- The selection of alcohol was limited (at least it was at the time of my visit).
- Good luck ever being able to pronounce the name of this place if you don’t speak a lick of French.
