HCMC – Local carrier Bamboo Airways yesterday, April 28, opened a new air route linking the capital city of Hanoi and Melbourne in Australia, making it the first Vietnamese airline to offer air services on this international route.

The launch of the route marked a new success in the carrier’s efforts to connect major cities in Vietnam with those in Australia. Earlier this year, the carrier had launched the HCMC-Melbourne route in February and the HCMC-Sydney route in March. The carrier said the Melbourne-Hanoi air link will help reduce the travel time between the two cities to nine hours. The airline is also offering special deals to celebrate the launch of the route. Speaking at the launching ceremony, Truong Phuong Thanh, deputy general director of Bamboo Airways, said the Melbourne-Hanoi route, after being put into service, is expected to offer a hassle-free travel experience. Tran Le Phuong, a representative of the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia, hailed the efforts of Bamboo Airways in helping strengthen connections between Vietnam and Australia. Despite having suffered the impacts induced by the Covid pandemic, the Vietnam-Australia bilateral trade in 2021 advanced 50% to 17 billion Australian dollars (US$12 billion). According to the Vietnamese diplomat, some 300,000 Vietnamese, including over 27,000 students, are working and studying in Australia. Further, tourism between the two countries is also growing, with around 400,000 Australians coming to Vietnam before the Covid pandemic.