VietJet is expanding its service to mainland China, more than doubling its offering to tap into strong demand from one of Vietnam’s largest tourist source markets.
The LCC began adding scheduled routes to China in late 2023, complementing its extensive charter operations in the region. The first route connected Ho Chi Minh City with Shanghai, followed by new services to Chengdu in February 2024 and Xi’an in April 2024.
Starting March 30, VietJet will launch four new nonstop routes, linking Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport and Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport to Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. Flights will operate daily, except for Hanoi-Beijing, which will run three times per week.
The move will grow VietJet’s network to seven routes between Vietnam and China and make it the first Vietnamese airline to operate flights to PKX. “This expansion is expected to strengthen bilateral ties between Vietnam and China while unlocking new opportunities for growth across the wider region,” a statement from the airline says.
Vietnam recorded more than 17.5 million international visitors in 2024, a 39.5% increase compared to 2023. Mainland China was the country’s second-largest source market, contributing 3.7 million visitors, trailing only South Korea, which accounted for 4.5 million arrivals.
The increase in tourist numbers coincides with a steady climb in Vietnam-China flight capacity, which has returned to 88% of pre-pandemic levels in January 2025, OAG Schedules Analyser data shows. This recovery outpaces China’s top three international markets—Japan, Thailand and South Korea—where capacity has reached 79.4%, 77.3% and 72.2%, respectively. Vietnam currently ranks as China’s eighth-largest international market.
Analysis of the latest schedules data reveals there are approximately 587,000 two-way seats available between Vietnam and China this month, making it the fourth-highest monthly total on record, behind only January 2020, August 2019 and July 2019.
China Southern Airlines currently has the largest share of capacity at 25.9%, followed by China Eastern Airlines with 18.6%. Vietnam Airlines ranks third with a 13.6% share, while VietJet is seventh, accounting for 5% of the market.
The Vietnam-China capacity growth comes as the Vietnamese government on Jan. 15 raised the possibility of Chinese-made aircraft operating in Vietnam following a meeting between Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and the Deputy Secretary of Comac Tan Wangeng. It is understood the parties met to discuss the possibility of Comac C909 and C919 aircraft flying to Vietnam in the near future.
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