Over the Easter weekend, Vietnamese low-cost carrier Vietjet touched down in Australia for the first time. The south-east Asian airline operated its inaugural flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Melbourne.
The airline’s 377-seat Airbus A330 touched down in Melbourne at 10:35pm April 8, providing Victorians with a new, cost-effective way to reach Ho Chi Minh City and beyond.
Vietjet not only operates an extensive short-haul network within south-east Asia, but will also offer connections to India, Japan and South Korea. The new flights from Melbourne are timed to provide convenient connections for Australian travellers to onward destinations in the region.
The airline will initially operate thrice weekly return services on the Ho Chi Minh City to Melbourne route. Flights are now scheduled to depart Melbourne on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 12:30am.
Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Jim Parashos said Vietjet’s arrival would significantly boost seat capacity to Vietnam and increased choice for passengers heading to the region.
“Victorians can’t get enough of visiting Vietnam, it has consistently been one of our top 10 international destinations,” said Mr Parashos.
“Low-cost fares will make the trip even more appealing to leisure and business travellers, and of course people wanting to connect with family and friends at both ends of the route.
Travel between Australia and Vietnam
There is a significant amount of tourist and business travel between Australia and Vietnam. The two countries have strong economic and cultural ties, which have contributed to an increase in travel in both directions.
Many Australian businesses have operations in Vietnam, and there are also many Vietnamese businesses operating in Australia. This has led to an increase in business travel between the two countries.
Vietnam has also become an increasingly popular tourist destination for Australians, with its rich history, culture, and natural beauty attracting many visitors.
In recent years, the number of Australian tourists visiting Vietnam has been steadily increasing, and Vietnam has become one of the top destinations for Australian travelers in Southeast Asia.
Similarly, there is significant travel movement from Vietnam to Australia, as Mr Parashos points out:
“Victoria is home to a large Vietnamese community, with Melbourne’s vibrant and fast-growing migrant population making the city a key inbound market with Melbourne Airport the natural gateway to Australia.”
“There are also around 9,500 Vietnamese students enrolled at Victorian institutions making Vietnam one of the state’s largest international student populations,” he concluded.
The airline plans to increase to daily operations by December 2024, which represents an annual increase of 136,000 seats on the route.
About VietJet
VietJet Aviation Joint Stock Company, trading as VietJet Air (or simply Vietjet), is an international Vietnamese low-cost airline. It became the first privately owned airline to be established in Vietnam, being granted its initial approval to operate by the Vietnamese Minister of Finance in November 2007.
As of its launch in December 2011, it became the second private airline to offer domestic services in Vietnam, as well as the fifth airline overall to offer civil domestic flights.
VietJet Air is owned by Sovico Holdings, HDBank, other organisational investors, and individual stakeholders.
As at December 2022, the carrier operated and all-Airbus fleet. This includes 18 Airbus A320, 38 A321, three A330 and 19 A321neo aircraft.
The carrier also shows 20 Airbus A321XLR aircraft on order. The airline shows open orders for a significant Boeing 737 MAX fleet with listed orders for 66 MAX 8, 106 MAX 10 and 28 MAX 200 aircraft.
Deliveries for the Boeing fleet range from 2024 to 2028.
