Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Hanoi to Tokyo. The left side wins overall because the Haneda landing approach on the left delivers one of the most dramatic urban bay approaches in Asia — low altitude, long final over Tokyo Bay with the city skyline unfolding. The takeoff right-side advantage is real but shorter-lived; the left side also picks up views of the South China Sea coastline and East China Sea during cruise.

During takeoff from Noibai International (HAN), sit on the Right side for the best views. Noi Bai's primary departure runway 11R/29L means northeastward departures swing the aircraft so the right side looks south over Hanoi city and the Red River delta. You get a clear view of the Red River's broad meandering channels and the dense urban grid of central Hanoi before the aircraft climbs northeast toward the Gulf of Tonkin. Notable sights include: Red River (Song Hong) and its braided delta channels, Hanoi urban core and Hoan Kiem district, West Lake (Ho Tay) — the large circular lake northwest of central Hanoi, flooded rice paddies of the Red River plain.

When landing at Tokyo International (HND), sit on the Left side for the best views. Tokyo Haneda primarily uses runways 34L/34R for northward landings, meaning the approach comes in from the south over Tokyo Bay. The left side faces east toward the bay and gives a spectacular low-altitude view of the bay's industrial waterfront, the Rainbow Bridge, and central Tokyo's skyline including the Tokyo Tower and Skytree on the horizon before touchdown. Notable sights include: Tokyo Bay and its reclaimed industrial waterfront, Rainbow Bridge and the Odaiba waterfront district, Tokyo Tower visible inland to the north, Tokyo Skytree further northeast on the horizon.

The flight from Noibai International (HAN) to Tokyo International (HND) takes Approximately 4 hours 30 minutes to 5 hours.

After departing Hanoi the route tracks northeast over the Gulf of Tonkin, then crosses the southern Chinese coast near Guangdong province. The flight then passes over the East China Sea — largely open water — with the Ryukyu Islands chain (Okinawa and surrounding islands) visible as scattered green specks in the blue sea roughly midway through the oceanic portion. As the aircraft approaches Japan, the Kyushu coastline and then the Kii Peninsula of Honshu may be visible before the descent into the Kanto plain and Tokyo Bay.