Airport Guide: Hanoi Noi Ban Airport

The Hanoi Airport, also known as Noi Ban Airport, is the second biggest airport in Vietnam. With this extensive airport guide we’ll help you find your way through the airport!

Vietnam is a growing destination for tourists from all over the world. Due to that, the Hanoi Noi Ban Airport gets more and more important every year, both for domestic and international travel. Till today, the airport is dominated by the local carrier.

However, there are also a couple of international flights, including long haul ones to Moscow (Aeroflot), Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), Dubai (Emirates) and Doha (Qatar Airways). Additionally, home carrier Vietnam Airlines offers direct flights from Hanoi to Europe and Australia.

Biggest carriers at Hanoi Noi Ban Airport:

• Jetstar Pacific: several domestic and regional destinations
• VietJet Air: several domestic and regional destinations
• Vietnam Airlines: dozens of domestic, regional and long haul destinations

Shopping and dining at Hanoi Airport

To my surprise, the facilities at the Hanoi Noi Ban Airport are relatively limited. The departure hall isn’t exactly inviting and there are only a few shops, most offering only daily needs. The domestic terminal (Terminal 1) I was able to explore a bit before my departure is rather disappointing as well.

There are a couple of stores, a few bars and cafés, but that’s about it. For a major airport, the shopping and dining facilities at the Hanoi Airport are surprisingly limited. However, Terminal 2 (the international terminal) is modern and offers better facilities, including the typical shops and restaurants you can find at an international airport.

Sleeping at the Hanoi Noi Ban Airport

If you have a long layover at the Hanoi Airport, you may spend the night at the airport. Terminal 1 has no proper areas to sleep and is also not a nice place to be, while Terminal 2 is rated as a good place to spend the night according to sleepinginairports.com.

There are rest areas, where you can stretch out comfortably. Additionally, there are even sleep pods, which you can use for a fee. Those are also available in Terminal 1. Otherwise, there are a couple of hotels around the airport, but none is particularly well rated, part of an international chain or has a good star rating. Thus, sleeping in the city might be the better choice if you are looking for a hotel.

• Book your hotel in Hanoi now!

Lounges at Hanoi Noi Ban Airport

When departing from Hanoi Airport, you may make use of an airport lounge. The domestic terminal only has a Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge, which you may only access with a Vietnam Airlines Status or a Business Class Ticket (no upgraded tickets, even when you make use of a cash upgrade). The international terminal comes with both, a Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge and a third-party operated lounge, which is called NIA Lounge. The latter is used by most airlines, which do not belong to SkyTeam and may also be accessed by paying guests. Be aware that the Hanoi Noi Ban Airport doesn’t have any Priority Pass Lounge.

Overview of all lounges at Hanoi Airport:

• Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge (Terminal 1): Business Class passengers & Status Members of Vietnam Airlines (no SkyTeam Status Members on domestic itineraries)
• Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge (Terminal 2) Business Class passengers & Status Members of all SkyTeam Airline, plus Business Class passengers & Status Members of a few other airlines
• NIA Lounge (Terminal 2): Business Class passengers & Status Members of various airlines or paying guests (at the door)

Transportation at Hanoi Airport

Getting from the city center to Hanoi Airport or vice versa isn’t all that easy. There is just a single bus line connecting the city with the airport, which is the bus line 7. Bus line 17 (mentioned in some gates) doesn’t stop at the airport anymore. Tickets are way cheaper and the ride takes approximately one hour. There are plenty of stops in the city center.

However, I’d recommend rather taking a taxi or an Uber. Both options are getting you to the city center very quickly and are very cheap as well. However, be sure to negotiate the price with taxi drivers as they tend to rip off foreign visitors.

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