Vietnam’s newest carrier Sun PhuQuoc Airways plans to launch its first international route between Phu Quoc and Moscow on Nov. 13 with an Airbus A330 aircraft as Russia is now one of Vietnam’s fastest-growing tourism markets.
Before that, on Oct. 15, it will launch a new service between Ho Chi Minh City and China’s Shanghai megacity.
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Foreign tourists walk near Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, October 2026. Photo by Read/Hoang Giang |
Vietjet Air has also announced plans to expand its international network with flights linking Ho Chi Minh City with Male, the capital of the Maldives, with passengers transiting in Colombo. The service is scheduled to begin on Dec. 5.
It will also launch new services between Hanoi and Prague, Czechia, and Almaty, Kazakhstan, this month.
Vietravel Airlines said it will start flying between Hanoi and Shenzhen, known as the Silicon Valley of China, on Nov. 26.
The expansion into Asia and Europe come as Vietnam received 17.7 million international visitors in the first nine months of 2026, up 14.5% year-on-year, bucking a declining trend seen in several Southeast Asian destinations like Singapore, Cambodia, and Thailand.
Mainland China was Vietnam’s largest inbound market, with 3.95 million visitors or 22.3% of all arrivals.
Russia was third with 1.1 million visitors, up over 160% year-on-year. The number of Russian visitors is forecast to reach a record 1.5 million this year.
European arrivals increased by more than 50%, while arrivals from markets like the United States, Australia, and India also recorded strong growth.
This has helped Vietnam shrug off its earlier dependence on just one or two major Asian inbound markets.
Industry insiders have urged the government to extend visa exemptions to nationals of major markets such as China and India and boost air connectivity with global tourism hubs to help the country reach its target of 25 million international visitors this year.