Adventurous Australian travellers may have a new way to fly to the United States, with a prominent Asian low-cost carrier stating its intention to fly to North America “soon”.
During a recent visit to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Vietjet Chairwoman Dr Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao said the carrier planned to fly between Vietnam and the US (most likely Ho Chi Minh City and the West Coast) in the near future. And if the airline’s aggressive approach to the Australian market is anything to go by, where it has walked the walk in its expansion, you can bet it’s serious in its assertion of American flights.
Welcomed in New York City by NYSE President Lynn Martin, Dr Thao also said the Saigon-based carrier was seriously exploring a listing on Wall Street.
“We will soon fly to the US, and we are also very excited to explore opportunities to raise capital in New York – the world’s largest stock exchange,” Thao said. “This is not only the aspiration of Vietjet… but also the dream of many Vietnamese enterprises seeking global integration.”
While in the US, the Vietjet chair also visited Seattle to commemorate the LCC’s first Boeing 737-8, part of a massive US$32 billion (nearly AU$50 billion), 200-plane order – the biggest-ever aviation deal between the US and Vietnam.
Could Aussies join the party?
Flying to the US via Vietnam would represent a big detour for most Australians, but the lure of potentially cheap fares – the carrier often slashes prices from Australia and could do the same for US flights – and a stopover in Australia’s fastest-growing destination, could tempt many.
Vietjet made its debut Down Under in April 2023 with the launch of nonstop flights between Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), followed later that month by Sydney-SGN flights, and in June, Brisbane-SGN services. The budget airline also commenced the first-ever Vietnam-Perth and Adelaide services but dropped South Australian flights late last year due to fleet management issues.
