Vietnam and India open new direct flights

VietJet Air, an international low-cost airline from Vietnam, today announced new air routes between Hanoi-Mumbai, Ho Chi Minh City-Mumbai, Phu Quoc-Mumbai, and Phu Quoc-New Delhi, marking its expansion to the destination of 1.4 billion people.

Chairman of Vietnam’s National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue (C), Speaker Om Birla of India’s Lok Sabha (L) and Vietjet Managing Director Dinh Viet Phuong in Hanoi on April 19. Photos: Quochoi

The announcement of direct flights was made in the attendance of Chairman of Vietnam’s National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and Speaker Om Birla of India’s Lok Sabha in Hanoi on April 19.

The Hanoi-Mumbai air route will kick off on June 2 with four return flights per week, the Ho Chi Minh City-Mumbai will start on June 3 with three return flights per week while the Phu Quoc-Mumbai and Phu Quoc-New Delhi will open on September 8 and September 9, respectively with three flights/week each.

Earlier, VietJet Air has operated scheduled commercial flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to New Delhi and charter flights from Vietnam to Bodh Gaya, a religious site and place of pilgrimage in Bihar State. The Hanoi-New Delhi and Ho Chi Minh City-New Delhi flights will be resumed on April 29 and 30, respectively with three return flights/week each.

Dinh Viet Phuong, Managing Director of VietJet Air, said the airline is delighted to open six new air routes to India just after the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. Flights to India, which take five hours, will open up opportunities for tourism and trade, contributing to strengthening the two countries’ economic ties.

Direct flights would be significant for traveling between the two countries as both Vietnam and India have reached mutual recognition of vaccine passports.

Launching ceremony of new air routes.

In 2019, Indian carrier IndiGo operated direct flights from Kolkata City in West Bengal State to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, the first-ever direct flights between Vietnam and India.

The air routes have facilitated the traveling of people from two countries. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the number of Indian visitors to Vietnam has grown over the past years, up 19.9% on year in 2015, 30% in 2018, and 28% in 2019.

Also on April 19, Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla witnessed the signing of an agreement between GalaxyOne Company Limited under Vietnam’s Sovico Group and India’s Tech Mahindra Limited on setting up a joint venture on information technology.

The move follows the memorandum of understanding signed during Hue’s visit to India in December 2021, in which the two companies agreed to establish a Vietnam-based global center for developing software on big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in addition to a center for research and renovation as well as a center for training IT manpower. 

Vietnam and India firms inked a partnership agreement.