Vietjet will start direct flights between Cebu and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Dec. 11, 2026, as the airline expands its presence in the Philippine market and increases air connectivity between the two countries.
The new route will operate five round-trip flights per week and will double Vietjet’s total flight capacity between the Philippines and Vietnam. Cebu, one of the Philippines’ major economic and tourism hubs, will serve as another gateway for travellers heading to Vietnam and connecting to other destinations across Asia-Pacific and Europe.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest commercial centre and economic hub, serves as Vietjet’s main operating base. The city provides onward connections to destinations including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, and the Czech Republic.
The new Cebu route was announced during the Vietnam-Philippines Business Forum on June 1, held during the state visit of Vietnam’s General Secretary and President To Lam to the Philippines.
The Philippines and Vietnam also signed a Tourism Cooperation Program for 2026 to 2029 to support tourism growth and improve air links between the two countries.
Travel demand between the Philippines and Vietnam continues to grow. From January to April 2026, Vietnam welcomed 236,000 visitors from the Philippines, a 73.4% increase year-on-year, making the Philippines one of Vietnam’s top 10 international source markets for the first time.
Visitors from Vietnam to the Philippines increased by 35.3% during the same period, according to the Department of Tourism. Bilateral trade between the two countries reached $7.8 billion in 2025, with both sides targeting $10 billion in trade volume in the coming years.
Following the launch of its Manila-Ho Chi Minh City route in late 2025, Vietjet’s Cebu service strengthened the airline’s Philippine operations. The airline currently has more than 100 Filipino professionals in the market, including pilots, cabin crew members, engineers, and managers.
Since 2019, Vietjet has operated five routes between the two countries, linking major Philippine destinations such as Manila, Davao, and Cebu to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang. These services have contributed significantly to the growth of tourism, trade, investment, logistics, and people-to-people exchanges between two of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic economies.