There was some good news for travelers in Vietnam last week, as the folks behind The Guide to Sleeping in Airports (http://www.sleepinginairports.net/) unleashed their lists of the best and worst airports in Asia.
Among the top 30 Best Airports in Asia were the Da Nang International Airport and Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport, reports Thanh Nien. Each air travel venue was ranked based on its services and facilities, including cleanliness, customer service and comfort, as well as the airport's 'sleepability'.
While it's no surprise that Da Nang made the cut at number 23, Noi Bai was without a doubt the underdog, coming in at 28 after featuring on last year's list of the Worst Airports in Asia.
Though it may not mean much to the average person, it's worth noting that Noi Bai's director, Vu The Phiet, actually apologized last year when the website named his airport among the worst and vowed to improve the quality of Noi Bai. Clearly, Phiet made good on his word, as the airport's recent upgrades have helped to lift Noi Bai not only off the worst list but onto the best.
There is, however, one Vietnamese airport still among Asia's worst this year. Between a stair car collision, a crashed baggage truck, flooding issues and passenger overcrowding, Saigon's Tan Son Nhat International Airport can't seem to get a break. The southern airport is now the fourth worst airport in Asia and the eighth worst airport in the world, according to the site.
Passenger complaints at Tan Son Nhat include poor Wi-Fi signals, dirty bathrooms and few options for dining. In the wake of this news, airport officials are taking a leaf out of Noi Bai's book and have publicly pledged to improve Tan Son Nhat's services in the coming year, reports Thanh Nien.
Lai Xuan Thanh, head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam told the news outlet that city officials are calling an urgent meeting to address these issues. Hopefully, these efforts, combined with the numerous expansion projects currently in place – as well as the pending construction of Long Thanh International Airport – will help to bring Tan Son Nhat off the list by next year, too.
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- Tan Son Nhat To Be Expanded. Again
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[Photo via Thanh Nien]
