“We are excited to announce the new route today. It reaffirms our commitment to offer all Australians and tourists alike with unparalleled opportunities to enjoy unique experiences to a myriad of captivating destinations across Vietnam,” said Vietjet vice president Nguyen Thi Thuy Binh.

“We anticipate that this new service will serve as a catalyst, fostering enhanced tourism and economic cooperation between the two nations.”

Vietnam is a rapidly-growing international market for Melbourne, with traffic in 2023 up 37 per cent on 2019 levels. Melbourne Airport chief of aviation Jim Parashos said this new route is a mark of success for the expansion of bilateral agreements between Australia and Vietnam.

“This additional capacity will provide further vital direct links for study, trade and tourism between Vietnam and Australia at the same time as putting significant downward pressure on airfares,” he said.

“Outbound, Vietnam is now in the top ten travel markets for Melbourne and inbound we are the number one destination in Australia for Vietnamese visitors, so we expect this service to be a very popular one.

“Prior to the pandemic traveller numbers to Vietnam were well behind other south-east Asian markets such as Malaysia and Indonesia, but in 2024 those figures have flipped with Vietnam now leading the way.”

Melbourne is the first Australian destination served by Vietjet to Hanoi, with Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide all having Vietjet services to Ho Chi Minh City.

The low-cost carrier introduced daily flights from Melbourne and Sydney to Ho Chi Minh City in December, having commenced its service to Melbourne three times per week on Easter Sunday 2023, and began flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Adelaide via Perth in November.

Full-service carrier Vietnam Airlines also flies from Hanoi to Melbourne and Sydney, with Melbourne-Hanoi flights commencing last June.