Less than two months after announcing its plan to open a direct service to Sri Lanka, Vietnam Airlines has decided to bring forward the launch of its Ho Chi Minh City – Colombo route to August 16 in response to rapidly growing travel demand between the two countries.

To mark the inauguration, the national flag carrier is offering promotional round-trip fares starting from 7 million VND (266 USD).

The route will be operated by Airbus A321 aircraft with three flights per week. Departures from Ho Chi Minh City are scheduled for Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays while return flights from Colombo will take off on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

This will be the carrier’s first route to Sri Lanka, expanding direct air links between Vietnam and South Asia. The new service is expected to shorten travel times and facilitate tourism, trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges between the two nations.

The decision to commence operations earlier than initially planned reflects positive market signals from South Asia and growing demand for connectivity between Vietnam and Sri Lanka. The route is also the latest addition to Vietnam Airlines’ ongoing international network expansion strategy.

In the first half of 2026, the airline launched and announced several new international routes, including services to Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and Phuket (Thailand). It also increased flight frequencies on routes to Singapore, Manila (the Philippines), Moscow (Russia), Kaohsiung (Taiwan, China), Melbourne and Sydney (Australia) to meet rising passenger demand.

Passengers can obtain detailed information on flight schedules and promotional programmes via Vietnam Airlines’ official website, mobile application, ticket offices and authorised agents nationwide./.VNA