ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider VietJet's Manila link underscores PH appeal to Southeast Asian carriers, DOT chief says

VietJet's Manila link underscores PH appeal to Southeast Asian carriers, DOT chief says

Published Dec 4, 2025 11:49 am

At A Glance

  • VietJet Air launched its direct Ho Chi Minh City–Manila route on Nov. 23, 2025.
  • The inaugural flight arrived at NAIA Terminal 1 with 213 passengers and departed with 189 passengers.
  • DOT Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco said the service signals renewed airline confidence in the country's tourism market.
  • VietJet now operates five weekly roundtrip flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Manila.
The first direct flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Manila touched down at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on November 23, 2025, and was greeted with a ceremonial water cannon salute, marking the launch of VietJet Air’s new service to the Philippines. (Photo from DOT)
The first direct flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Manila touched down at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on November 23, 2025, and was greeted with a ceremonial water cannon salute, marking the launch of VietJet Air’s new service to the Philippines. (Photo from DOT)
Foreign airlines are expanding operations in the Philippines as VietJet Air launched its direct Ho Chi Minh City–Manila route, a move that DOT Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco said signals renewed confidence among carriers in the country’s tourism market.
Frasco said the new service strengthens the Philippines’ bid to capture a larger share of regional travel growth through deeper connectivity with Vietnam.
The inaugural flight arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 at 2:50 a.m. on Nov. 23 with 213 passengers.
Its return flight departed for Ho Chi Minh City at 3:45 a.m. with 189 passengers.
Arriving passengers were welcomed by DOT–National Capital Region personnel with a lei reception and cultural performances.
The welcome program was attended by VietJet executives led by Director of Commercial Division Ha Nang Viet, Assistant Terminal Manager Apolonio Mendoza, Miss Cosmo Philippines 2025 Chelsea Fernandez, airport officials, and representatives from the DOT Office of Market Development.
VietJet now operates five weekly roundtrip flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Manila, with inbound arrivals scheduled every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Return flights depart Manila every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
Expanding regional air links
From January to Nov. 30, the DOT recorded 31,085 arrivals from Vietnam, representing a 0.60 percent market share and reflecting steady interest from Vietnamese travelers.
The new Ho Chi Minh–Manila service adds to the country’s growing network of direct international connections, including Air India’s New Delhi–Manila route and recently opened links to Australia, such as Manila–Perth and Cebu–Brisbane.
It also complements established flights from Canada, Paris, and multiple cities across the United States.
“As an archipelagic nation with 7,641 islands, over 99 percent of Philippine international tourism is dependent on air travel, and that is why we continue to strengthen our air connectivity with multiple countries so tourists have easier access and seamless travel,” Frasco said.

Related Tags

VietJet Air Ho Chi Minh City–Manila route Ninoy Aquino International Airport DOT Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.