Index
Days 1/2: Flying
Day 3a: HKG-BKK inaugural
Day 3b: BKK-HKG
Day 3c: HKG-SGN inaugural
Day 4: Vietnam
Day 5: SGN-HKG-HND
Day 6: NRT-ROR inaugural
Day 7: ROR-NRT inaugural
Southeast Asia
United's flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hong Kong is a ridiculously early 6:00am, which meant a 3:45am arrival to the airport... which was surprisingly busy when I arrived at 3:45am. Heading through the ticket counters, found nothing celebratory for United, but did find Turkish Airlines celebrating an additional IST-SGN flight.
Immigration and security were basically empty, which left plenty of time to hang at the Le Saigonnais lounge, which happened to be right next to the departure gate for UA 153. The food selection at 4am was nothing crazy, but enough of a spread to be acceptable, and both jook (congee) and pho this early in the morning weren't the worst choices. Not sure how Philip, Mark, and Kathy were awake this early in the morning, but we somehow made it to the gate and back on-board, where we again found Captain Petrovitch and First Office Burke at the controls. Captain Petrovitch and FO Burke gave us another warm welcome and detailed briefing on the morning's flight, then it was a light load and short flight back to Hong Kong.
Probably should have gone with the pork chop, but instead went with the banh mi, which was... not bad. A bit odd to have the bread quite so toasted, and there was no pate, but honestly, not bad. Had a bit of concern on arrival due with some of the group who were going back immediately, either on United 153's second segment (HKG-LAX), or on United's morning return to SFO, due to some minor glitches by the check-in desk in Saigon, but everything went well in the end.
With a longer layover before my flight on ANA to Tokyo Haneda, I opted to hang around more in the United Club. Food was still very meh, but much like the Emirates lounge in Bangkok, it's open to the rest of the terminal, taking full advantage of the high ceilings and massive windows. Left a bit early to caffeinate at Chagee's new location at Hong Kong International Airport, where they have a deliberately abbreviated menu to ensure faster service, and the milk tea is still good. Faster service is still not fast tho, and that, combined with a considerably longer line than expected at King Bakery, meant just enough time for a quick Portugese-style dan tat before boarding.
Compared to Cathay Pacific business class from Hong Kong to Tokyo a few months ago, the seats on ANA felt a bit less private, slightly less comfortable, and even worse storage, along with more dated in-flight entertainment. The food was presented in the expected modern Japanese fashion, a bit heavy on packaging, but more neat in presentation. Wasn't able to get the Japanese menu on CX, so not a direct comparison, but (to no one's surprise) a definite and significant step up from United's Japanese meal. Service was mostly by a single flight attendant, less of a team effort than Cathay; still a very good experience in the end, but harder to say it was worth the upgrade for a sub-4-hour flight.
Tokyo International Airport, aka Haneda Airport, Terminal 3, has a shopping mall and hotel complex directly attached, plus it has much better proximity to Tokyo proper than Narita International Airport. Handea Airport Garden is not large, but it's very decent sized, and late in the evening, the food scene isn't bad. Although I would avoid the food court if it's late, as not much was open, and the sizzling steak place, Lava Grilled Steak, is best described as so-so in quality (although the execution is excellent). It's at least a short walk to the attached hotels, with the Hotel Villa Fontaine Premier with an elegant if busy lobby, and the higher-end Hotel Villa Fontaine Premier's even larger lobby through another pair of doors at the side of the Hotel Villa Fontaine Premier lobby.
The onsen and gym are shared between both Hotel Villa Fontaine brands, so it's extremely difficult to say the Hotel Villa Fontaine Premier is worth it. The rooms are still small, and while they are more stylish and comfortable, none of this is remotely necessary nor all that easy to appreciate if you're there barely long enough to sleep. Hanging out in the fashionable lobby might be cool, but again, did not have time or energy to do so-- a brief visit to the onsen's outdoor pools and to the gym was all I had time for (the indoor pools weren't hot enough for me, the hottest of the outdoor pools was just tad too warm, the 2nd hottest pool wasn't hot enough).