Taking a snooze in Saigon airport's new sleeping zone

The waiting area at the international terminal of Tan Son Nhat airport has been recently expanded with a 100-square-meter sleeping zone equipped with long wooden chairs and 20 sleeping loungers that anyone can use for free.

A group of Canadian tourists leaving Vietnam after a one-week visit relax on the loungers. They said they’ve been to Tan Son Nhat before, but were forced to sit on the ground while waiting for their flight. “Very nice, very clean, very professional,” a foreign tourist said, sitting on one of the chairs.

Those who need more privacy can pay $7 an hour to use one of ten mini sleeping rooms. The rooms have alarm systems so that users do not miss their flights.

Each sleeping room is four square meters and can accommodate an adult and a child under seven years old. Drinking water and cold towels are part of the package.

The airport has also opened a kids' zone of 40 square meters with slides.

The new facilities were opened on October 26 after the Airports Corporation of Vietnam spent VND1.5 trillion ($67.2 million) on the first phase of the terminal’s expansion. The second phase of the expansion is expected to cost VND787 billion and finish next year, raising the terminal’s capacity from the current 10 million to 13 million passengers a year.

There is also a new range of convenience stores selling food, drinks and souvenirs from less than $1 apiece.