Business Class Flights to Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam Airlines flies San Francisco–Ho Chi Minh City nonstop on the A350-900 and 787-9 with a lie-flat 1-2-1 business cabin — sixteen hours westbound, fourteen back — and it is the only nonstop between the two countries. From Los Angeles, Seattle, New York and everywhere else, the one-stops are strong: EVA Air and Starlux via Taipei (three and a half hours on), Korean Air via Seoul (five and a half), ANA and Japan Airlines via Tokyo (six, with First on the Pacific leg), Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong (two and a half), Singapore Airlines via Changi (two), and from the East Coast Qatar Airways in Qsuite via Doha or Emirates via Dubai. United and Delta connect at Tokyo, Seoul or Taipei to partners. No routing to Vietnam has First Class on the final leg; the Japanese carriers, Cathay and Emirates offer it on the long one.

Tan Son Nhat is close to the city — District 1 is 30 minutes by taxi — and its domestic terminal connects to Hanoi (two hours), Da Nang (75 minutes), Nha Trang (an hour) and Phu Quoc (an hour) on Vietnam Airlines and Bamboo Airways; we book the domestic sector on the same ticket where the fare allows. Long Thanh, the new airport east of the city, is expected to take international flights from 2026, which will lengthen the transfer into town. US citizens need a Vietnam e-visa, obtained online before travel.

Southern Vietnam's dry season runs December to April, with January and February the pleasantest — and Tet, the lunar new year, falling inside it, when Vietnamese-American family travel fills every premium seat weeks in advance. The rainy season, May through November, brings short afternoon storms and the lowest fares, often well below our $3,600 starting price from San Francisco. Central Vietnam (Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue) runs on a different calendar — best February through August — and Hanoi and Ha Long Bay are best October through April.