Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Hanoi to New York. The JFK arrival on the left side delivers one of the most iconic urban approaches in aviation — Manhattan, the harbor, and the Verrazano all at once. The Hanoi departure on the right is interesting but the delta is flat and the city views are brief. Left side wins overall for the New York arrival alone.

During takeoff from Noibai International (HAN), sit on the Right side for the best views. Noi Bai's primary departure runway 11L/29R means northeastward departures swing the aircraft over the Red River Delta and Hanoi city center to the right side. You get a clear look at the Red River's braided channels and the dense urban grid of central Hanoi before climbing out over the delta plains. Notable sights include: Red River (Song Hong) and its braided delta channels, Hanoi city center and Hoan Kiem Lake district, West Lake (Ho Tay) — Hanoi's largest urban lake, Red River Delta agricultural patchwork.

When landing at John F Kennedy International (JFK), sit on the Left side for the best views. JFK's primary arrival runways 31L/31R bring aircraft in from the southeast over the Atlantic, tracking over Jamaica Bay and the Rockaway Peninsula. The left side gives you the best view of Lower Manhattan's skyline, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, and the full sweep of New York Harbor as you descend. Notable sights include: Lower Manhattan skyline and One World Trade Center, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Jamaica Bay and its wildlife refuge islands, New York Harbor.

The flight from Noibai International (HAN) to John F Kennedy International (JFK) takes Approximately 16 to 17 hours nonstop, typically routing northeast over southern China, across the North Pacific, then over Alaska and Canada before descending into the US Northeast.

Southern China highlands and the Pearl River basin during initial climb-out, the vast North Pacific Ocean for the majority of the overwater segment, the Aleutian Island chain visible as a distant arc if routing far north, the Canadian Rockies and then the Great Lakes region during descent into the US East Coast