HO CHI MINH CITY, 24 September 2019: Vietnam Airlines has opened sales for a new service from Ho Chi Minh City to Phuket with fares starting at around USD293 round trip.
Due to launch 27 October, the airline will offer a three weekly direct service on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.
All major online booking sites are displaying fares for the new direct route. The service will cut flying time from around five hours with one stop in Bangkok to just one hour and 55 minutes.
The one-stop service offered between Ho Chi Minh City and Phuket combined a Vietnam Airlines flight to Bangkok with a Bangkok Airways domestic flight to Phuket. The average fare was around USD436.
The new direct service uses Vietnam Airlines’ A321 with 184 seats.
Last week, the Tourism Authority of Thailand office in Phuket hosted Vietnamese travel agents for an educational trip to Phuket, but the itinerary featured a stay in Khao Lak, a beach resort 100 km north of Phuket island on the mainland.
Hoteliers in Patong Bay, who were expecting TAT to book their hotels for the Phuket “fam-trip” questioned the wisdom of taking Vietnam travel agents to Khao Lak, which is practically deserted during the rainy season.
The hoteliers argued that Vietnam travel agents, particularly from Ho Chi Minh City, would prefer a more entertaining environment for their package tour clients. One like Patong Bay that combines shopping malls, night entertainment and a beach location, the hoteliers stated.
Around 324,000 Vietnamese travelled to Thailand’s famous city and beach destinations on tour packages organised by travel agents during 2018. During the first half of 2019, trips to Thailand booked by travel agents reached 162,160 up 1.85%.
From all booking sources, Thailand recorded 1,00,027 visitors from Vietnam in 2018, an increase of 9.88% year-on-year.
During the first half of 2019, Thai travellers made 245,318 trips to Vietnam, a 45% increase over the same period of 2018.
Meanwhile, Vietnam Airlines confirmed it would start a direct service from Ho Chi Minh City to Denpasar in Bali, Indonesia, 27 October.
Using an Airbus A321, it will offer five weekly services, departing on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
Another new direct route, also scheduled for a 27 October launch, links Danang a coastal city in central Vietnam with Bangkok. Vietnam Airlines will offer daily flights.
Last month, Vietnam Airlines took delivery of the first of eight Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft that was deployed on the busy Ho Chi Minh-Hanoi route.
The airline has outfitted its 787-10 aircraft with 367 seats (24 in business class and 343 in economy class). They will be used on international routes in Asia, particularly to cities in Japan and South Korea.
