The emergence of additional low-cost airlines has encouraged more Australians to travel to Vietnam, with nearly 82,000 Australians making trips to the country during the first quarter of the year, an increase of 14.4% from 2019, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Kelly Szymanowicz, an Australian tourist from Sydney, said that she would extend her summer vacation with her family in Vietnam for three weeks as she loves Vietnamese culture, beaches, and the reasonable travel costs on offer.

Round trip flights from Sydney to Vietnam for six people during the summer vacation cost US$6,000, while it can cost eight times that for flights to Florida in the United States, she revealed.

Nicole Reddan from Melbourne said she also found cheap flights to Vietnam via budget airline Vietjet Air when booking round-trip tickets to the country for November.

This represents a great opportunity for Australian travelers as costs for food, accommodation, and tours are all reasonable in Vietnam, she added.

While airfares to Europe this summer have increased by 63% compared to the pre-COVID levels, air tickets on the routes to Vietnam have slightly rose by 21%.

Nicola Carmichael, director of travel platform Kayak, said there is an increasing trend of travelling to Vietnam among Australians, and searches for Ho Chi Minh City in the second half of the year edged up by about 140% compared to 2019.

According to Professor Rico Merkert, an aviation expert at the University of Sydney, with Bamboo Airways and VietJet launching air routes between Australia and Vietnam, the flight capacity of flights to Ho Chi Minh City has exceeded that of the pre-pandemic period and is expected to increase from 21,606 seats per week from June 19 and to 22,444 seats per week to September 18.

The emergence of Vietnam of a tourist hub will create fierce competition with Bali, a popular destination for Australians travelers due to cheaper costs than those found in Europe or the US, as well as other Asian destinations.

Lauren McRae, head of Hello It's Loz travel agency in Australia, also said trips to Vietnam account for 30% of the company's bookings, noting that Vietet Air and Bamboo Airways’ airfares coupled with the rising frequency of flights have created tough competition in the market.

Source: VOV