Vietnam Airlines to fly non-stop to Bali, Phuket

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has announced a plan to launch two new air routes connecting Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi with two of the region’s most famous tourist destinations, Bali in Indonesia, and Phuket in Thailand.

Bali Indonesia Ubud

Catering to growing travel demand of holiday-goers to Southeast Asia’s beach holiday destinations, the national flag carrier will eventually operate the Hanoi / Ho Chi Minh City - Bali route with seven flights a week. Each flight will take around four hours.

In total, the Ho Chi Minh City–Bali air route will conduct seven flights per week. However, from October 27, 2019 to the end of March 2020, the airline will only be running five flights per week due to restrictions at Denpasar airport in Bali. Flights are scheduled to depart from Ho Chi Minh City at 11:10 and from from Bali leave at 16:50 every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. The air route to Bali represents the second one hosted by Vietnam Airlines which links the nation to Indonesia, after the Ho Chi Minh City-Jakarta route came into operation from December 2012 with a frequency of seven flights per week.

Eat Pray Love Bali

On the new Ho Chi Minh City- Phuket route, the airline is set to operate three flights per week, with departures from Ho Chi Minh City taking place at 15:50 and from Phuket at 18:40 on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

Dubbed the Island of Gods and a paradise on earth with beautiful beaches, Hindu culture and vibrant nightlife, Bali has consistently been a top holiday choice for holiday-goers in Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam. In 2017, global travel site TripAdvisor named Bali among world's top destinations in its Travelers' Choice Awards.

Phuket is also one of Southeast Asia's most prominent beach resort destinations.

Citizens of ASEAN member nations can travel within the region without applying for visas and stay as a tourist for a maximum of 30 days. According to Mastercard, Vietnam has the second fastest growing outbound market in the Asia Pacific region after Myanmar, with projected annual growth of 9.5 percent between 2016 and 2021. Mastercard has forecast that 7.5 million Vietnamese travelers will travel outside the country in 2021.