Vietjet to launch flights between Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh City from April 2023

The arrival of another low-cost Vietnamese carrier to Australia this year should help to push down international fares to the South-East Asian destination. Vietjet will use Melbourne as its launching pad into the Australian market, with services between Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh City commencing from April. It will become the fourth carrier to fly the Melbourne-Ho Chi Minh route, with the added competition good news for budget-conscious flyers. Melbourne Airport CE Lorie Argus said: "The fact that it's going to be the fourth carrier now flying [to] Ho Chi Minh City out of Melbourne … that can do nothing but be a great outcome for the traveller, for the competition that that will bring to the market." Although bookings are not yet open, Argus said she expected to see competitive airfares on the route. Vietjet will initially operate three return non-stop flights a week between Melbourne and the Vietnamese city, with plans to ramp up to daily services by December 2024. The airline will fly an Airbus A330 on the route. Argus said Vietnam is an important growth market for Australia, with Vietjet's arrival in Melbourne to push seat capacity to the country to 153% of pre-pandemic levels.<br/>