The one thing you can't go past is the price. Fully lay flat bed for long haul for around $4,000 return to Europe (depending on seasonality and availability of course) is cutting the cost by half.
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I stopped via Saigon for 6 hours on the way to Paris and Hanoi for a few days on the return. Both servicing Sydney with direct flights, which makes the journey so much nicer. Between Sydney and Vietnam, they fly the 787 Dreamliners which are by far the better aircrafts than than the A350's they use to Paris, with much more spacious seats (Longer and wider), better food on the menus, the staff on board seeming to be quite a bit more attentive and the one thing that I generally cannot go without which is the air vents above your seat. Which the A350's did not have, so I found that I was hot most of the flight and sleeping without the blanket on the A350. But when I asked the cabin crew to turn down the heat, they were more than obliging.
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If your layover is longer than about 7 hours, Vietnam will help to organise prior for you to do a tour or go to a day hotel and organise the visa on arrival, but you must of had to bring a photo with you.
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But stopping for a few days will not do you any harm, with amazing street food for under $3 a meal, $15 massages and 5 star hotels for about $150 a night. You can't go wrong. I've never been one to break up my long haul when travelling to Europe, but I think I will do so from now on.
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