Vietjet to launch direct flights linking Ho Chi Minh City with Western Sydney

The agreement and route announcement were made in Sydney during the Tech Connect Forum, the first large-scale Vietnam-Australia forum focusing on science, technology, innovatio, and education.

The event was held during Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam's state visit to Australia, with Politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Phan Van Giang, as well as senior officials and business leaders from both countries, in attendance.

Vietjet to connect with Australia's new gateway

The new route is set to begin operations on January 9, 2027, making Vietjet one of the first airlines to connect with WSI, which is among Australia's newest international airports.

The service will operate two round trips a week, connecting Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's major economic center, with Western Sydney, an emerging growth hub in Australia.

Flights from Ho Chi Minh City will depart at 9:20 pm on Tuesdays and Saturdays, arriving at WSI at 10:00 am the following day, with return services departing at 12:05 pm on Wednesdays and Sundays and touching down in Ho Chi Minh City at 4:30 pm the same day, local time.

"We are proud to be among the airlines pioneering connections between Vietnam and Western Sydney, a new international aviation gateway and an emerging growth hub in Australia," Vietjet CEO Nguyen Thanh Son said.

"Each new route not only shortens the geographical distance but also creates new flows of tourism, trade, investment, knowledge, and opportunities between the two countries," Son added.

Simon Hickey, CEO of Western Sydney International Airport, said Vietjet had started selling tickets for the new service, with flights scheduled to begin in January 2027.

Western Sydney is one of Australia's fastest-growing and most multicultural regions and is home to more than half of Sydney's Vietnamese community, with upwards of 70,000 people living in the area, Hickey said.

Connecting two growth hubs

Operating around the clock, WSI is the first new international airport to be built from the ground up in Australia in more than 50 years.

The airport is a key component of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis, which is being developed as an economic, logistics, and innovation hub, with WSI planned to handle up to 82 million passengers a year.

The direct link between Sydney and Ho Chi Minh City is expected to support tourism, trade, investment, education, and technology ties between Vietnam and Australia, while providing an additional gateway between the two markets.

Australia is one of Vietjet's strategic international markets, with the airline currently serving Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth from Vietnam.

The Western Sydney service will bring Vietjet's Australian network to five destinations, expanding its capacity to serve passenger and business travel between the two countries.

The route is expected to strengthen air connectivity between Vietnam and Australia as the two markets seek to expand their tourism, trade, and investment rapport.