The opening ceremony of Vietjet's Melbourne-Hanoi route was held in Melbourne on March 5, in the presence of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan.

Vietjet announces the inauguration of its route between Hanoi and Melbourne. Photo: Vietjet

The event was held during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to Australia to attend the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit from March 5-11, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the Vietnam-Australia direct flight and Vietnam Airlines' milestone of carrying six million passengers between Vietnam and Australia.

The route, which connects Vietnam's capital with Melbourne, the capital of the state of Victoria and Australia's largest city, will commence service on June 3 with two roundtrips per week and a flight time of approximately 10 hours.

Flights from Hanoi to Melbourne depart every Monday and Friday at 17:10 local time, while flights from Melbourne to Hanoi leave every Tuesday and Saturday at 7:30 local time.

With a population of over five million, Melbourne is known as the cultural capital of the Land Down Under. It is a perennial favorite among the world's best places to live.

Meanwhile, Hanoi, known as the "City for Peace", is famous not only for its distinctive urban culture, diverse and rich cuisine, but also for its thousand-year history and being the center of politics, business and culture in Vietnam.

This route is part of Vietjet's ongoing plan to expand its international flight network to provide more opportunities for cultural exchange, education, economic development and tourism between Vietnam and other countries, including Australia.

Vietjet currently operates a series of flights between Vietnam and Australia, with 58 weekly flights connecting Ho Chi Minh City to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, the five largest cities in the Land Down Under, using A330s and A321s.

Aviation helps both sides grow

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the event. Photo: VNA

At the March 5 event, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the importance of aviation in the economic development of any country and encouraged Australian airlines to fly to Vietnam.

 

He stressed that Vietnam is committed to developing aviation and creating favorable conditions for airlines, both state-owned and private, to grow and compete fairly. 

 

He hopes to see airlines cooperate and compete in a fair manner, including in human resources training, which plays an important role.

 

Currently, Vietnamese airlines rely primarily on domestically trained pilots, engineers and technicians. Therefore, the Prime Minister is seeking Australian cooperation in supporting the training of pilots, technicians and management personnel, as well as providing investment capital.

 

He expects that banks, investment funds and investors will invest in Vietnamese airlines on an indirect basis.

 

Chinh expressed his gratitude to the Australian people for choosing Vietnamese airlines such as Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet to travel to Vietnam, thus contributing to the development of bilateral relations, cultural connectivity and the growth of the aviation industry between the two countries.

The Prime Minister emphasizes that Vietnam Airlines has made significant achievements over the past 30 years. However, the next 30 years are crucial, in which the airline must achieve even greater results by building on the foundation laid in the previous phase, aiming for acceleration and breakthroughs, he added.

 

Vietnam Airlines has operated more than 12,800 flights, carrying six million passengers and nearly 170,000 tons of cargo in the Australian market over the past 30 years.

 

The airline currently operates 23 weekly flights on five routes connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with Melbourne, Sydney and Perth.

 

Dang Ngoc Hoa, Chairman of the Board of Vietnam Airlines, emphasizes the airline's role as the national flag carrier. Since the early 1990s, Vietnam Airlines has facilitated aviation cooperation with Australia, serving as a bridge for trade, investment and the development of two-way tourism.

 

Vietnam Airlines continues to explore increasing frequencies and expanding its network to new destinations to maintain its position as the most important airline connecting Vietnam and Australia.

 

On the same day, at the Vietnam-Australia Business Forum, Vietnam Airlines and RMIT University signed a strategic cooperation agreement and a joint cooperation agreement on training programs and research solutions related to the aviation industry.

 

The cooperation includes research in AI, data, digital transformation, technology, aviation safety, high-quality aviation human resource training, student exchange programs, scholarships, and specialized seminars.