Vietjet has unveiled its first European route, between Hanoi and Prague (Czech Republic), via Almaty (Kazakhstan).
Launching 10 October 2026, the Hanoi-Prague route creates an interesting new option for Australians heading to Europe via Vietnam, one of Australian travellers’ fastest-growing destinations – and a fixture among our top 10 most popular places abroad.
However, after Vietjet pulled its Australia-Hanoi flights last year, Aussie travellers looking to take advantage of the new service will need to transfer between Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam’s south and Hanoi in the north before connecting to the new Czech service. That means three stops between Australia and Europe. But at least the prices will be low – from AU$510 one-way between Hanoi and Prague – at a time when affordable airfares are becoming scarcer. Plus, combining Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic into a single itinerary could be compelling for travellers seeking more off-the-beaten-path destinations.
The new service will operate twice weekly on the low-cost carrier’s A330 aircraft, which offer the airline’s business and SkyBoss cabins, alongside its economy product.
“This is an important milestone in Vietjet’s strategy to become a global aviation group,” Vietjet CEO Nguyen Thanh Son said.
“With a new-generation fleet, modern technology, and a continuously expanding network, Vietjet will soon operate many more routes to Europe, enabling passengers to conveniently connect between Europe and the Asia-Pacific, including destinations across Vietnam and Thailand. With Vietjet, Europe is now closer than ever.”
Prague Airport CEO Jiří Pos said that, “Vietnam is the most significant market in the Southeast Asian region in terms of passenger numbers”.
“In 2025, more than 75,000 people travelled between Prague and Hanoi in both directions,” he explained.
Two-way tourism boost
CzechTourism CEO František Reismüller said the new route represented an “essential” link for inbound tourism.
“Vietnam is among the markets with great potential, not only in its own right, but also as a transit point for other Southeast Asian countries,” he noted.
“Accessibility plays an important role in travellers’ decisions about their trips. The new route will therefore significantly facilitate travel to the Czech Republic, support arrivals from Southeast Asia, and open up further opportunities for the development of tourism and trade relations.”
While the service represents a relatively modest launch initially – twice a week to an admittedly smaller European gateway – the move does signal Vietjet’s wider international ambitions beyond Asia.
KARRYON UNPACKS: Vietjet’s Europe move feels less about one route and more about changing traveller behaviour. Australians are increasingly willing to trade direct flights for cheaper long-haul fares and extra stopover opportunities. So this feels like a space to watch.
