Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier, recently revealed plans for a direct flight route connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Perth, Australia. This service is scheduled to commence operations on December 7th.
During the announcement ceremony, Roger Cook, the Premier of Western Australia, expressed his enthusiasm for the new direct flight, emphasizing its potential to unlock numerous opportunities between the two destinations. He underscored the significance of this development for Western Australia’s industries, tourism, and hospitality sectors. Cook also highlighted the growing Western Australian-Vietnamese community, which has made significant contributions to the state’s social, economic, and cultural development. He noted that this new flight connection would greatly benefit this community, offering improved access for leisure, business, and educational purposes.
Rita Saffioti, the Deputy Premier and Minister of Tourism for Western Australia, emphasized Vietnam‘s emergence as a burgeoning tourism market for the region. She mentioned that, until March 2023, 10,000 visitors from Vietnam had already traveled to Western Australia, and the new flights are expected to increase this number significantly, potentially bringing in an additional 43,000 visitors annually. Saffioti anticipated strong demand for the route, especially since it commences just in time for the peak summer season, further solidifying Western Australia’s status as the Western Gateway to Australia.
Vietnam Airlines will operate the new route, designated as VN791 departing from Ho Chi Minh City at 3:50 p.m. every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, and arriving in Perth at 11:05 p.m. on the same day (local time). Conversely, flights from Perth, designated as VN790, will depart at 00:50 a.m. every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday, arriving in Ho Chi Minh City at 06:10 a.m. the following day. Tickets for this route have been available for purchase since September 1st.
With the addition of this route, Vietnam Airlines will operate a total of 23 round-trip flights between Vietnam and Australia each week, averaging three flights per day. The airline now offers five routes to Australia, including flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Melbourne, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Sydney, and Ho Chi Minh City to Perth. All of these routes are serviced by modern wide-body aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.
Perth, as the capital city of Western Australia, holds significant economic importance within Australia and the broader Asia-Pacific region. Notably, Perth is home to around 300,000 Vietnamese residents and individuals of Vietnamese descent, making it the third-largest Australian market for Vietnam.
