Vietjet to open HCMC - Vientiane flights in February

The four weekly flights of one hour and 45 minutes each leg come as the regional tourism market rebounds after a slump.

The carrier announced the new flights during National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s official visit to Laos.

Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Vientiane is the largest city in Laos with a population of over 800,000 people. It’s famous for its ancient Buddhist temples.

Vietnam received over 110,000 tourists from Laos between January and November, up 160% year-on-year.

Laos attracted more than 2.4 million foreign tourists in the first nine months of this year, marking a record 285% year-on-year increase, according to the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism of Laos.

Vietnam is one of the biggest inbound tourism markets to Laos with over 600,000 tourist arrivals annually, accounting for 25% of total foreign arrivals to Laos.

The new Vientiane flights are one in a series of new routes Vietjet is launching to Southeast Asian cities this month.

The Hanoi-Jakarta route will start on Dec. 10 with four weekly flights on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, while the service connecting Hanoi with Cambodia’s Siem Reap, home of the UNESCO world heritage site Angor Wat, will begin five days later with seven flights a week.