In more great news for Victorian travellers Vietnam based VietJet have announced the launch of new direct services between Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh City. This comes off the bat of already strong competition on routes between Melbourne and Vietnam which are already offered by Vietnam Airlines, Bamboo Airways and Jetstar.
The new service launching next month will initially be a thrice weekly service departing on Tuesday Thursday and Saturday mornings just after midnight at 12.30am before arriving into Ho Chi Min City nice and early at 5.15am later that morning. The return service will jet out of Ho Chi Minh City at 9.50am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday before arriving into Melbourne at 10.35pm that evening. Whilst the service will initially be limited to three times weekly it is understood that the airline has plans to hopefully increase the service to daily by the year’s end.
The flights will be operated by the airline’s Airbus A330s and although the airline has a low cost focus the aircraft will still feature its ‘Sky Boss’ Business cabin offering 12 angled flat bed seats promising to deliver an affordable opportunity to try business class perhaps without all the latest and greatest trimmings but neither the price tag.
Melbourne Airport Chief Executive Officer Lorie Argus says the Tullamarine hub is “thrilled to welcome Vietjet to Melbourne for the first time, and to be part of their plans for expansion in Australia.”
“Vietnam is both a really popular destination and an important source market, and the addition of Vietjet increases total Vietnam seat capacity this year to 153 per cent of what it was pre-Covid.
“Australians love visiting Vietnam, and Vietjet’s non-stop services are conveniently timed to provide great travel options between the two countries. Services will offer an evening departure from Melbourne, allowing travellers to land in Ho Chi Minh in the morning, providing seamless connections to domestic destinations or facilitating a day of business in Vietnam.
“With its extensive international network, Vietjet can also offer low-cost onward flight options to destinations including India, Japan and South Korea via Ho Chi Minh City.
“For the thousands of people in Victoria who were born in Vietnam or have Vietnamese ancestry, this service provides an essential connection to family and friends back home as well as an opportunity for visitors here.
“Vietnam is the largest source market for education in Southeast Asia, with more than 41 per cent of Vietnamese international students in Australia choosing Victoria as their study destination, so this is yet another option for them to travel Down Under to study at our world-class higher learning institutions.”
