I was invited to spend my 31st birthday on a 14-hour non-stop business class flight with Vietnam Airlines from Ho Chi Minh back to London, with four star meals and a button for cocktails. Here's my review of my 31st at 30,000 ft.
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00:00I had two choices for my birthday in October 2024.
00:03I could gather some mates and knock off some bars in Sheffield, followed by a takeout or
00:07something.
00:08Or I could spend it on a 14-hour business class flight home from Ho Chi Minh on Vietnam
00:12Airlines' Dreamliner with presumably every need tended to and a button for complimentary
00:17cocktails.
00:18Anyway, I brought some oversized joggers in my hand luggage to change into in the bathroom
00:22at the takeoff.
00:23I thought this was a savvy move.
00:25It really was a level of luxury I'm not really used to.
00:27From the Lotus Lounge that I spent the morning in where there was hot beef pho to enjoy and
00:32wake yourself up with before the flight, to the seat that reclined 180 degrees into a
00:37bed position, which admittedly you'll see me trying to sleep in in this video, but I
00:42actually used it so I could sit cross-legged on a flight, which was a great novelty to
00:45me.
00:46I could talk about the hot towels they bring you throughout the flight to freshen up with
00:50and make you feel a bit more homely on this long haul trip, or I could talk about the
00:54built-in noise-cancelling headphones, which I don't own a pair of and means I could watch
00:58new releases like Dune 2 and Mad Max Furiosa in blissful damp and surround sound, or I
01:03could talk about the four-star meal served for both breakfast and lunch, served on China
01:08with all of the right cutlery and better food than I ever expected to see on an airplane
01:13with complimentary cocktails, recipes of which I've taken home with ever since.
01:18But no, I only want to zero in on the attentiveness and warm care of the cabin crew.
01:23It's a level of service I can't really speak on, and a level of luxury I've never really
01:27enjoyed before, but they are the bit that I'll remember about this birthday the most.
01:31They really doted on passengers to ask if there was anything else they could do or bring
01:35them, any more tea or coffee or food or booze, or if they could bring you a fresh hot towel
01:42or anything else you might want, really.
01:44If I'm going to say there's one thing that made this trip a special one for me, it's
01:47going to be the crew who were looking after us on the flight there.