Vietjet Bengaluru-Ho Chi Minh City daily service on the cards

Ho Chi Minh City: Flight travel between Bengaluru and Vietnam is set for a major boost with Vietjet, Vietnam's largest private carrier, planning to expand its Bengaluru (BLR) –Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) connection to daily service. Currently, the airline operates four flights per week between the two cities.The airline is exploring this upgrade keeping in mind the increased interest being shown by Indian tourists, especially Bengaluru's high-spending tech crowd, in various exotic and offbeat destinations of Vietnam."The response to our Bengaluru-Ho Chi Minh City route has so far been quite encouraging, and we may upgrade our current four-times-a-week service to a daily service in the future," Kieu Duong, Vietjet's international PR officer, told TOI on the sidelines of a tour at the picturesque port city of Vung Tau in Vietnam earlier this month. Tour operators have observed that Vietnamese cities like Ho Chi Minh City combine rich cultural attractions, such as the War Remnants Museum, Saigon Opera House, Independence Palace, and bustling Bến Thành Market, with affordability in accommodation, food, and sightseeing. The direct service connects Bengaluru to SGN in just about 4 hours and 40 minutes, with flyers no longer having to go through the hassles of taking connecting flights from other cities in India or from airports in Southeast Asia.Vietjet currently operates flights to six Indian cities – Bengaluru, New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Kochi. The airline is not only looking to tap into rising passenger traffic on the India-Vietnam sector, but is also keen on offering flyers from India easy connectivity to destinations in Australia and Far Eastern and Southeast Asian cities, with Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi as transit hubs."We're very optimistic about our India operations, and our target is to offer our guests an opportunity to enjoy a slice of Vietnam, while providing seamless connections to Australia, China and other destinations on our network," Kieu Duong added. The airline's two-class configuration on an Airbus A321 aircraft for the BLR-SGN route includes a premium economy SkyBoss class that allows access to dedicated check-in counters, airport lounge, priority boarding, and choice of onboard food and beverages. (The writer was in Ho Chi Minh City recently on an invitation from Vietjet, Vietnam's private air carrier)