Vietnam’s national carrier will fly between the two capital cities twice a week from June 15 using a state-of-the art Airbus A350-900.

The new service will operate in addition to Vietnam Airlines’ existing flights from Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City and will increase annual capacity between Victoria and Vietnam by more than 65,000 seats.

The new route means Vietnam Airlines now offers the most direct services between Australia and Vietnam, with a total frequency of up to 18 flights a week.

Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Jim Parashos said the carrier’s decision to increase its Victorian footprint represented a huge win for Victorian tourists, tertiary education providers and exporters.

“Vietnam Airlines was the first airline to connect Victoria with Vietnam and we’re proud to see this relationship going from strength to strength,” he said.

“This extra capacity means more Vietnamese students can travel to Victoria for study, more families can connect with their loved ones and Victorian exporters have more options to move their products into the Vietnamese market.

“These new flights also mean Victorian tourists will be able to fly into either Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City before travelling along the country’s spectacular coast and then flying home directly.

“Vietnam has consistently been in our top ten international destinations, and we know there is huge demand from travellers at both ends.”

The new Hanoi service will operate on Thursdays and Sundays, arriving into Melbourne at 12:30pm and departing for Hanoi at 3pm.