Vietjet launches new Vietnam-Australia direct route

Vietjet on Monday announced a direct route connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Perth, linking Vietnam’s most dynamic city and the beautiful Western Australia state.

The new route has increased the number of flights between Vietnam and Australia operated by Vietjet to 38 per week.

On November 21, 2023, Vietjet will officially launch the Ho Chi Minh City-Perth route with two return flights per week. The flights from Ho Chi Minh City will take off at 1:35 p.m. (local time) on Tuesdays and Saturdays, land in Perth at 9:20 p.m. (local time).

In the opposite direction, flights will depart from Perth International Airport at 11:20 a.m. (local time) and land at Tan Son Nhat Airport (Ho Chi Minh City) at 5:05 a.m. (local time) also on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

On August 5, Vietjet commenced a direct route connecting HCMC to Indonesia’s Jakarta. The route is Vietjet's third direct service between Indonesia and Vietnam.

With seven flights per week taking just three hours on modern aircraft, Vietjet’s new flights provide more travel option between HCMC and Jakarta, two leading urban centers.

“The direct service linking Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City will make it easier and more affordable than ever for Vietnamese to visit Jakarta and vice versa. More direct flights between Vietnam and Indonesia will further create abundant opportunities for seamless travel, business collaborations, and boosting bilateral trade, tourism, and cultural exchanges," said Vietjet vice chairman Nguyen Thanh Son.

Daily flights depart from HCMC at 09:35 a.m. and arrive at 12:30 p.m. in Jakarta. The return flight takes off from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) in Jakarta at 1:30 p.m. and arrives at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City at 4:40 p.m. (all in local time GMT+7).

In addition to the new HCMC-Jakarta route, the airline will also increase flights between Bali, HCMC and Hanoi, offering 84 flights a week between Vietnam and Indonesia from August 12.

The carrier will launch 5-hour direct flights between HCMC and Tiruchirappalli, India on November 2, 2023 with three return flights per week. Flights from HCMC to Tiruchirappalli will take off on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m., and land at 11:30 p.m. (local time). Flights from Tiruchirappalli to HCMC will take off at 00:30 a.m. and land at 7 a.m. (local time) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

With the new direct route from HCMC-Tiruchirappalli, Vietjet has officially increased its total number of flights connecting Vietnam with India to nearly 70 per week.

Previously, Vietjet on August 2, jubilantly welcomed the first non-stop flight connecting Vietnam's ancient capital of Hue with the South Korean capital of Seoul, marking the first flight transporting Korean tourists to the new terminal at Phu Bai airport.

The first connection between Hue and Seoul was a charter flight operated by the Vietnamese budget carrier, bringing international tourists to the ancient and poetic town of Hue. Hue-Seoul is the second international route operated by Vietjet from the new terminal at Phu Bai airport in central Vietnam. Previously, Vietjet was the first airline to launch international flights from Phu Bai to Kunming city, China.

Vietnam welcomed 6.6 million international arrivals in the first seven months of the year, up 5.9 times year-on-year and equal to 83% of the country's yearly target. South Korea was the largest source with nearly 1.9 million arrivals, accounting for one third of the total, followed by China with 738,000 and the U.S. with 445,000.

On June 24, Vietnam’s National Assembly approved a government proposal to extend the validity of tourist e-visas to 90 days with multiple entry, starting August 15. Since the country reopened to tourism after a prolonged hiatus courtesy of the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam has only been granting 30-day, single entry visas.

Under the new policy, foreigners with valid visas will be able to enter and exit Vietnam multiple times without having to apply for new visas each time. The National Assembly also agreed to extend the stay of visitors from countries that are unilaterally exempt from visas from 15 to 45 days. This adjustment will also take effect on August 15.

Travel firms said they're organizing longer tours to take advantage of opportunities that the new 90-day visa policy may bring when it takes effect.