VIETJET: Direct flights Sydney or Melbourne to Hanoi from June

The low-cost airline Vietjet is adding a brand new twice-weekly service on the Sydney to Hanoi route from 8 June 2024. This compliments its already daily service between Sydney and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

VietJet is also launching from 3 June twice-weekly flights from Melbourne to Hanoi.

April 2023 saw Vietjet first foray into the Australian market. It now runs a total of 58 flights per week from Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, to Ho Chi Minh City. The new flights from Sydney and Melbourne will allow direct access to Hanoi without transiting in Saigon.

This new route puts VietJet in direct competition with Vietnamese Airlines. on the

Skyboss Business Class

Despite its positioning as a low-cost airline, VietJet does offer a Business Class product on its A330s that cover these flights. However, it’s a bit retro, with the 12 Skyboss seats being angled lie-flat. The Skyboss cabin consists of two rows of 2-2-2 seats. With this arrangement,

it’s worth trying to find a cradle position that suits your preferred sleep style for this 10-hour trip rather than going completely lie-flat. The issue with angled lie-flat seats is the pressure that gravity provides and tempts you to slip down the seat.

You will get a few more perks in the Skyboss cabin, such as an amenity kit, 40kg of checked luggage, and a generous 18kg of carry-on alliance. That would make it possible for me to forego any checked luggage! You’ll also get lounge access, priority check-in and meals onboard.

Lounge Access

Lounge access comes with your SkyBoss ticket, but these are mainly ‘public’ lounges, not VietJet ones. In Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney, it’s to the Plaza Premium Lounges. For Perth, it’s the Aspire Lounge. In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), for the international terminal, it’s the Apricot Lounge, or for domestic flights, it’s the Le Saigonnais Business Lounge. In Hanoi, you have access to the Song Hong Business Lounge.

The Sydney/Hanoi route

The details of the new Sydney to Hanoi flights are:

• VJ96 departs Sydney (Thur. & Sun) 8:30 am, arriving Hanoi 4:00 pm
• VJ95 departs Hanoi (Tue & Sun) 5:10 pm arriving Sydney 6:10 am next day

Details of the flights on the Melbourne to Hanoi route

• VJ94 departs Melbourne (Tue. & Sat) 7:30 am, arriving Hanoi 2:00 pm
• VJ93 departs Hanoi (Mon & Fri) 5:10 pm arriving Melbourne 6:00 am next day

Of course failing these direct routes, there are a bunch of flights via Ho Chi Minh City that you can choose from.

2PAXfly Takeout

It’s great to have these additional flights direct to Hanoi from Sydney and Melbourne. Most flights to Australia are out of Saigon, which accounts for why I have visited their several times, but never been to Hanoi. Maybe VietJet provides that opportunity.