Vietnam Airlines will soon start direct flights between Ho Chi Minh City and San Francisco, becoming the first and so far only Vietnamese airline to operate a direct route to the United States.
Starting November 28, 2021, Vietnam Airlines will send its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) two times per week.
The outbound flight to SFO is expected to take 13 hours and 50 minutes, and the return flight to Vietnam will take 16 hours and 40 minutes. The airline plans to operate the route twice weekly throughout December 2021, and will eventually increase to daily flights once COVID-19 travel restrictions ease. It also plans to use its A350 aircraft for this route in the future.
The airline’s expansion to the United States comes after Vietnam announced its plan to resume international flights for the first time since March 2020.
It has also now triumphed over rival Bamboo Airways as the first Vietnamese airline to receive an official grant from the FAA to operate to the US.
On November 16, Vietnam Airlines officially received the permit to operate non-stop commercial flights between Vietnam and the US and became the first and only Vietnamese carrier with the authorization to do so.#VietnamAirlines #4StarAirline #4Stars4You #UnitedStates #TSA pic.twitter.com/0sJvIntkli
— Vietnam Airlines (@VietnamAirlines) November 16, 2021
image source: Vietnam Airlines
The airline made the announcement on social media on November 16, 2021. On that same day, Vietnam Airlines also worked with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) to organize a forum on “Promoting Vietnam – US Trade In the New Context”.