Ngoc Yen, who is returning to Bali after three years, says the trip was much more affordable and convenient this time with a direct flight from HCMC.
“It is now easier to change tickets, the flight attendants speak Vietnamese, and the meals suit our taste.”
She previously had to transit through Singapore, which took several more hours and sometimes led to unexpected expenses.
Vietnam Airlines is leading the race with 13 new international routes since early 2024, including HCMC–Bali, HCMC–Copenhagen, Hanoi–Bengaluru, Hanoi–Hyderabad, and Hanoi–Milan.
The Copenhagen service is its first to Denmark, and it has also resumed flying on several key sectors such as Hanoi–Moscow and HCMC–Osaka.
It now flies on 69 international routes, a 13% increase from before the Covid-19 pandemic, to 37 destinations in 21 countries.
A spokesperson said the carrier has revived and expanded its international flight network at “unprecedented” speed after the pandemic.
Revenues generated on international routes rose by 10.6% year-on-year in the first half of 2025 and accounted for 60% of the airline’s total revenues from transport services.
Budget carrier Vietjet Air has been making a strong push into the Indian market, operating flights to major cities such as Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
It also launched flights between Nha Trang in the central province of Khanh Hoa and three cities in the Russian Far East, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk and Blagoveshchensk, in June and between Hanoi and Chengdu in China in early July. It plans to start flying to Auckland, New Zealand, in September.
Vietjet said expanding to these major markets is a step in its long-term growth strategy.
Bamboo Airways is prioritizing short-haul routes where it can flexibly adjust the number of flights, such as those to Bangkok, Taipei, and Seoul.
Vietravel Airlines is expanding its charter flight offerings, targeting high-end customers with all-inclusive tours to South Korea, Japan and Thailand.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said Vietnamese airlines are operating on more than 150 international routes, more than before the pandemic.
It said they are launching and resuming services at a blistering pace to retain their slots at major airports and capitalize on the recovery in demand.
Airlines are also planning to operate more international flights to popular Vietnamese tourist destinations like Da Nang, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc.
Reviving key routes is a strategic move to strengthen Vietnam’s position in the global transportation network, they said.
“We are not just chasing numbers, we are choosing destinations with strong connectivity that serve both passenger and cargo [services],” a representative of a carrier said.
Some new routes, such as Hanoi–Hyderabad, are also popular due to low fares.
Several travel agents in Hanoi said direct flights to India and Bali saw huge demand in the second quarter, particularly from independent and business travelers.
Several airlines said they plan to continue with the international expansion this year after seeing the positive results generated by the new services.
