Vietnam Airlines Launches Direct Flights To Manila

Vietnam's national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, has launched direct flights to Manila from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh to become the first Vietnamese carrier to offer nonstop service to the capital of the Philippines. The inaugural flight – VN648 – left Ho Chi Minh City at 00:50 on June 17, 2024, and landed in Manila (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) at 04:20 the same day.

The carrier will operate seven weekly nonstop flights between Vietnam and the Philippines. These comprise four weekly services on the Ho Chi Minh – Manila route on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and three weekly flights on the Hanoi - Manila route on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

On the newly introduced routes, Vietnam Airlines aims to serve passengers and help strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. Besides ferrying tourists and business travellers, the new flights will help approximately 30,000 Vietnamese people residing in the Philippines and nearly 7,000 Filipinos living in Vietnam.