Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN/VVTS) is the largest and busiest airport in Vietnam which is located in Ho Chi Minh City – the largest city and the main economic, financial and business center of Vietnam. This is the main hub of the flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, as well as its subsidiaries VASCO and Jetstar Pacific and some private airlines like VietJet Air and Bamboo Airways. In 2024, this airport handled almost 40 million passengers, which caused heavy congestion, due to the limited capacity of 25 million passengers annually.

Operation: Domestic flights include Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific, VietJet Air, VASCO and Bamboo Airways. For international flights, the airport is served by airlines from most parts of Asia and some from Europe (Air France, Aeroflot, etc.) and Oceania (Jetstar Airways only). No international flights from the Americas or Africas. There are some charter/seasonal flights also, which are served by LOT Polish, Edelweiss, Finnair, etc. Cargo airlines include many such as AirBridgeCargo, Cathay Pacific Cargo, Cargolux, etc.

ALL spotting locations around SGN are on the rooftops of coffee/tea shops and offering an outstanding view. Once inside, please order something (All of them have a great selection of drinks with fresh fruits etc.) and show the waitress your big camera and they will show you the way to the viewing deck. 

Written by Long Nguyễn Thành, Le Minh, Alef Okao and Jan Seba. Last change: June 2026, Spot 10 added

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
07L/25R	3050m (10007ft) – Concrete
07R/25L	3800m (12467ft) – Concrete
Terminals
Terminal 1	Vietjet Air’s domestic flights
Terminal 2	All international flights
Terminal 2	Opened in May 2025: Vietnam Airlines, Bamboo Airways, Vietravel Airlines, Vasco and Pacific Airlines’ domestic flights.
Spotting Information
Ladder	No ladder needed. All spotting locations are in coffee shops or restaurants
Car/Public Transport	Every spotting location is accessible through public transport, taxis,buses, ride-hailing / ride-sharing services such as Grab and GoViet (similar to Uber), or hire a motorbike in your place you reside. As not many drivers / riders know English, prepare some papers and maps with name of location and address and show to the drivers. In general we recommend western travellers not to drive yourself. Traffic in Ho Chi Minh City can become very dense and dangerous and it is safer to have a local drive.
Restrooms	Restrooms are accessible in every spotting location.
Drinks/Food	Food (some places only have drinks so you can ask waiters where to buy food or order by apps) and drinks are accessible in every spotting location and nearby restaurants/food stalls
Hotels	There are some hotels on Hong Ha Street, just before you turn into Truong Son Street, where the airport is located. ibis Saigon Airport Hotel is recommended. Staying in the city center is also possible, as it is not far from the airport and inexpensive to get to.
Season	By far the best season to visit SGN is between December and February. This can be considered the dry season, so you will have very little rain and lots of sunshine hours. Additionally, as SGN has 07/25 runways, the sun altitude will not be too high around noon time. And furthermore this is also the busiest travel season for the area. Please take note that usually during January/February Vietnam observes Tet holidays (at the same time as Chinese New Year). During this week most of the cafes will be closed and you could have difficulties going spotting in SGN. If you are going in summer time (May – August) it will be a lot rainier and cloudier, but it will be possible to use the cafe on the northern side of the airports for evening photography.
Security	No problem is observed if you spot in spotting locations we recommend below. Do not move cameras out or take pictures on the streets. There is a high chance of robbery (e.g. by snatch tactics if you do this on the street. And do not take photos of the road around airport (Below a fence) because the road is used for military purpose
Runway Usage
General Info	Usually 25L is for takeoff and 25R is for landing. Runway heading change to 07L/R is occurred rarely and only with strong winds. Usually SGN stays with 25 operation even if there is a small easterly wind.
07L/25R	25R is the main runway for landing. In case there is a runway heading change to 07L, this is the main runway for takeoff.
07R/25L	25L is the main runway for takeoff. In case there is a runway heading change to 07R, this is the main runway for landing.

	Spot #1 – International Terminal Food Court
WHERE	The last spot is located Airside in the International Terminal. So you will need a valid Boarding Pass in order to take photos here. The Food Court is located very centrally in the terminal right behind Security and Immigration. Just walk up the stairs or take an elevator and you are there. There are several fast food restaurants in the food court, so just buy something and take a seat next to the window.
WHAT	You will mostly be able to spot aircraft on the taxiways in front of your. If 25’s are used (which is much better for this spot), this will mostly be aircraft taxiing to the RWY for Departures or some few international airlines taxiing in after landing if they are parked on the east side of the terminal. If 07’s are in use, lots of the domestic traffic may not pass in front of you, so you would be limited to some international traffic. Theoretically you can also shoot movements on the RWY 25L/07R, but heat haze will be very strong around noon, so it is only recommend early morning in winter. The other runway will be way too far out to shoot at.
TIME	From early morning until noon.
MISC.	You will have everything you need in the terminal. The author never encountered any problems with security, but they may ask you to stop taking photos. Be aware: The windows of the terminal are heavily tinted, so you will have to shoot in RAW and strongly edit the coloring later in order to get good results. The windows may also be slightly dirty, but the author always found spots which were good enough to get sharp photos.
FOCAL LENGTH	Korean A330 (on the RWY) ~130mm, A321 on the RWY ~120mm and the Scoot A320 (on the front TWY after landing) just ~75mm.

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	Spot #2 – Long Van Coffee shop
WHERE	The first location is called Long Van Coffee Shop, address is 602 Cong Hoa St., Ward 15, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City. Once arrived here, go straight in the Long Van Building and take the elevator up to 7th floor.
WHAT	Mainly the location should be used for 07R Landings, which sadly occur rarely (please see General Info above). Otherwise you may be able to shoot 25L departure and to a very limited extent also 07L lineup, but you will face some obstructions, as can be seen below in the overview.
TIME	From early morning to noon.
MISC.	The shop will be closed on public holidays and weekends! Open during the week at different hours, but should normally be open at latest by 8 AM. Food/drinks, restrooms and resting places are available here. No issue with police.
FOCAL LENGTH	A little over 300mm for an A321 and still approx. 200mm for a B744.

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	Spot #3 – Hương Nguyên Sky View
WHERE	This coffee shop is new and is called “Hương Nguyên Sky View” located at Pham Van Bach St., Ward 15, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City. It is almost in the same building as the former King Coffee, which is now closed. Once arrived at this address, take the stair to go to coffee at the top of the building.
WHAT	First of all you will have problems with power lines so the view is very limited. Line ups on 07L and arrivals can be seen from here.
TIME	In winter time the spot is barely useable for 1-2 hours maximum before sunset as the sun does not get around far enough. In summer it can be used from late afternoon until sunset. In terms of lineup Spot #2 may be preferred, as the light will be a bit better earlier in the evening.
MISC.	Food/drinks, restrooms and resting places are available here.
FOCAL LENGTH	75-300mm

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	Spot #4 – Ngam May Bay Coffee
WHERE	The next coffee shop is the Ngam May Bay Coffe at 389/24 Quang Trung St., Ward 10, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City. Arrive at this address, go straight into the basement on the right hand side and take the elevator up to the 5th floor. Then take the stair on the left hand side to go to the shop at the rooftop.
WHAT	You will have an overview the airport, but the spot is best used for 25R landings. You can see 25L lineup (difficult for photography). 07L departure is possible for some very heavy airplanes.
TIME	Spot is only useable in summer time from afternoon till sunset.
MISC.	Food/drinks, restrooms and resting places are available here.
FOCAL LENGTH	70-300mm

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	Spot #5 – Du Mien Garden Coffee Shop
WHERE	The Due Mien Garden Shop is a pretty big one and located at 7 Phan Van Tri St., Ward 10, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City. Arrive at this address, go straight in and go upstair. There is a rooftop for spotting so ask the waitress for it.
WHAT	The spot can be an alternative to #4 for 25R landings, but usually #4 is the recommend spot as it will give better overviews and better angle for landing aircraft.
TIME	Spot is only useable in summer time from afternoon till sunset.
MISC.	Food/drinks, restrooms and resting places are available here.
FOCAL LENGTH	70-200mm

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	Spot #6 – R&B Tea Gò Vấp
WHERE	The next shop, the R&B Tea,  is at 177 Quang Trung, Phường 10, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City. Arrive at this address, go straight in and order a drink. Tjhen go upstair to the 3rd floor and from there is a stair to the rooftop.  Update April 2024 this location is closed
WHAT	The spot can be an alternative to #7/#8 for 25R landings, but usually the others are the recommend spots as it will givea better angle for landing aircraft. 25L lineup may be possible here but very limited shots.
TIME	The cafe opens at 8 AM, spot can be used until noon.
MISC.	Drinks, restrooms and resting places are available here.
FOCAL LENGTH	50-300mm

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	Spot #7 – Lava Coffee Shop
WHERE	Another nice terrace is on the rooftop of the Lava Coffee shop, located at 61 Quang Trung St., Ward 10, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City. Arrive at this address, go straight in, ordering something and walk upstair where the rooftop is.
WHAT	All 25R landing and 07L departure
TIME	The cafe openes at 7:30 AM and light is good until noon.
MISC.	Food/drinks, restrooms and resting places are available here and nearby restaurants (KFC, McDonald’s – few minutes of walk or you can order ).
FOCAL LENGTH	70-200mm

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	Spot #8 – Cathay Coffee Shop
WHERE	Another coffee shop called Cathay Coffee is located at 148 Nguyen Van Cong St., Ward 3, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh CIty. Arrive at this address, just go inside and order. The open rooftop offers a nice view.
WHAT	You can see lineups on 25L very good and 25R landings, but in rare cases where 25L landings are happening it is also possible from here, with a slightly worse angle though. 07L Departures would be visible as well, but will be very high already.
TIME	The cafe opens at 7 AM. From early morning to early afternoon for the arrivals and from sunrise until late morning for the line ups.
MISC.	Food/drinks, restrooms and resting places are available here and a big supermarket is right here as well.
FOCAL LENGTH	Approx 250mm for an A321 and 160mm for a B744.

	Spot #9 – Cathay Coffee 216
WHERE	The last shop is called Skylines Rooftop & Lounge Bar and is located right next to the previous coffee shop but offers a better sight. It is situated at 216/2/2 Nguyen Van Cong St., Phường 3, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh CIty.  Arrive at this address, just go inside and order. There are two levels on the top where you can take the pictures from. Update February 2026: seems like it was renamed again from Skylines Rooftop & Lounge Bar to Cathay Coffee 216…
WHAT	You can see lineups on 25L very good and 25R landings, but in rare cases where 25L landings are happening it is also possible from here, with a slightly worse angle though. 07L Departures would be visible as well, but will be very high already.
TIME	The cafe opens at 7 AM. From early morning to early afternoon for the arrivals and from sunrise until late morning for the line ups.
MISC.	Food/drinks, restrooms and resting places are available here and a big supermarket is right here as well.
FOCAL LENGTH	50-300mm

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	Spot #10 – Air Coffee
WHERE	Another Café is at 104  Tân Sơn, Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam, right next to runway 07L threshold. Best taken by taxi, but note though that most taxi services map will just lead you to the road entrance of the general area of the coffee shop, while the actual shop is about 200 meters in through a road, so ask your taxi to go the final 200mm to save from the walking, there should be no problem driving down that road. The spot has a viewing fence that is normally high and not great for taking pics since there is another fence surrounding the actual airport. However, there is a small wall where you can stand to get enough height to just see over the fence (see picture). Greater height provides a clear advantage at this location, as the fence can obstruct the view for shorter visitors. Those around 1.6 m tall may need to hold the camera above the fence and use a flip-out screen instead of the viewfinder. Alternatively, a small unfenced section on the far left side of the café fence may provide a more convenient position for photography with fewer height restrictions.
WHAT	All arrivals and departures on 07L. 25L departures when it reaches V1 and rotate, and 25R and taxis off the runway in front of you.
TIME	Spot is only useable in summer time from afternoon till sunset.
MISC.	Food/drinks, restrooms and resting places are available here. Security wise being an aviation oriented spot there was no problem taking pictures and there were other people with their own cameras too.
FOCAL LENGTH	50-300mm

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