Vietnam Airlines has launched direct air connectivity between Sri Lanka and Vietnam, with its inaugural service arriving at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake, on Sunday night.
The Airbus A320, operating as flight VN-671 from Ho Chi Minh City, touched down at 11:02 p.m. on August 16 and received a traditional water-cannon salute to mark its arrival.
The inaugural flight carried 164 passengers to Sri Lanka, while 172 passengers travelled to Vietnam on the return service.
The new route will operate three times a week, every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, connecting Katunayake with Ho Chi Minh City. The flight time is approximately four hours and 30 minutes.
A special ceremony was held at BIA to officially mark the launch of the new service, with Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Trinh Thi Tam attending as the Chief Guest.
The new route is expected to strengthen air connectivity between Sri Lanka and Vietnam while supporting tourism, business and people-to-people links between the two countries.
