The announcement was followed by a meeting between the Vietnamese Ambassador, Nguyen Thanh Hai, and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on July 5, where the Ambassador pledged to initiate a direct flight service connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Kochi. Vietjet confirmed that with the introduction of the new route from Cochin International Airport, the airline will operate a total of 32 weekly flights between Vietnam and India. Specifically, the Kochi-Ho Chi Minh City route will offer four flights per week, scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
In a statement, the airline provided details on the flight schedule: "Departures from Kochi will take place at 23:50 local time, arriving in Ho Chi Minh City at 06:40 local time. Return flights will depart from Ho Chi Minh City at 19:20 local time, reaching Kochi at 22:50 local time." Following the meeting with the Vietnamese Ambassador, Chief Vijayan expressed his optimism through a tweet, emphasizing that the direct flight service would strengthen ties between Kerala and Vietnam, while also enhancing tourism and overall development in the state.
During an event held last week to announce the launch of the new Kochi route, the Vietnamese Ambassador to India hailed Vietjet's establishment of the connection as a breakthrough. He highlighted its potential to stimulate economic, trade, and tourism cooperation, as well as people-to-people exchanges between Vietnam and South India. The Ambassador also stressed the advantage of Ho Chi Minh City's strategic location, which allows visitors to easily explore various destinations within Vietnam and beyond.
Jay L Lingeswara, Vice-President (Commerce) of Vietjet, emphasized that the new route would enhance connectivity between Vietnam and India. The airline anticipates making significant contributions to the tourism growth of Kerala, India, and Vietnam by offering a wide range of products and services, accompanied by competitive and reasonable fares.
Currently, Vietjet operates flights from Mumbai, New Delhi, and Ahmedabad, connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In the first five months of this year, Vietnam welcomed 141,000 Indian visitors, with an estimated total of 500,000 visitors expected for the entire year. In 2022, the number of Indian visitors to Vietnam reached an impressive 137,900 arrivals, ranking ninth among the top ten tourist markets for Vietnam. Vietjet's new route is projected to bring approximately 10,000 more passengers from the southern region of India to Vietnam in 2023, as stated in the release.