The new service is part of the national flag carrier’s international network expansion strategy and is expected to enhance connectivity between Vietnam and one of Europe’s most important economic, logistics, and aviation centres. The route is also seen as a catalyst for deeper economic integration and stronger people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Under the plan, Vietnam Airlines will operate three round-trip flights per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, deploying wide-body Airbus A350 aircraft. The flight schedule has been designed to provide convenient travel options for European passengers while ensuring smooth onward connections within Vietnam and across Asia, including Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc.

According to Nguyen Quang Trung, deputy director of Vietnam Airlines, the Hanoi–Amsterdam route represents a major milestone in the carrier’s strategy to expand its European network.

Establishing a presence at one of the world’s leading aviation hubs not only broadens the airline’s business opportunities but also helps strengthen economic, trade, investment, and people-to-people ties between Vietnam and the Netherlands, as well as Europe more broadly, he noted.

With the addition of Amsterdam, Vietnam Airlines will operate 12 direct routes connecting Vietnam with Europe, serving eight destinations including Paris, Frankfurt, London, Munich, Milan, Copenhagen, Moscow, and Amsterdam, further reinforcing its role as a key air bridge between Vietnam and international markets.

Beyond passenger travel, the new route is expected to support economic development and international integration, while enhancing Vietnam’s global profile. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is among Europe’s largest aviation and logistics hubs, serving as a major gateway to North America, Africa, and other regions. The allocation of landing slots to Vietnam Airlines, amid limited airport capacity, underscores the carrier’s growing prestige and operational capabilities in the global aviation industry.

The Netherlands is currently Vietnam’s largest trading partner in Europe, with imports from Vietnam exceeding US$11 billion in 2025, and is also a major European investor, with total investment capital of around US$16 billion. A Vietnamese community of nearly 27,000 people living, studying, and working in the Netherlands also contributes to steady travel demand between the two countries.

Market data show that two-way passenger traffic between Vietnam and the Netherlands surpassed 122,000 in 2024 and is expected to continue rising in 2025, with passenger volume on the Hanoi–Amsterdam route alone increasing by more than 40% year on year.

Vietnam Airlines marks milestone with first direct air route to Northern Europe

VOV.VN - Vietnam Airlines has officially launched a direct route between Ho Chi Minh City and Copenhagen, marking Vietnam’s first nonstop air link to Northern Europe.