Vietjet has opened ticket sales for a new nonstop between Ho Chi Minh City and Western Sydney International Airport. The official investor release dated August 10, 2026 says the first flight is January 9, 2027, with two weekly Airbus A330 round trips.
That is a booking decision, not a distant concept. Travelers who want the first seats into Sydney’s second airport can buy them now, while anyone who only needs the existing Kingsford Smith service can leave this route alone.
- Start: January 9, 2027 from Ho Chi Minh City.
- Pattern: Two weekly A330 flights, Tuesday and Saturday from SGN.
- Tickets: On sale now on Vietjet’s site and app.
- Sale: 20 percent off premium fares through August 16.
- Not this: Air New Zealand’s October Western Sydney opening.
When the first flights actually leave
The Vietjet investor announcement is the primary schedule. Flights leave Tan Son Nhat every Tuesday and Saturday at 9:20 p.m., arriving at Western Sydney at 10:00 a.m. the next day.
Return flights leave Western Sydney every Wednesday and Sunday at 12:05 p.m. and reach Ho Chi Minh City at 4:30 p.m. the same day. All of those times are local.
January 9, 2027 is a Saturday, which matches the published Ho Chi Minh departure days. The first aircraft therefore leaves Vietnam on Saturday night and the first westbound departure from the new Sydney airport is Sunday, January 10. That Sunday date is why some trade recaps list January 10 as the start even though Vietjet’s own release anchors the launch on January 9.
Business Traveller independently reports the same Tuesday and Saturday outbound pattern, the same A330 metal, and the same January 9 start. Treat Aviation Week’s January 10 wording as the first Western Sydney departure, not as a second official launch date.
Do not plan around a Sunday and Wednesday Ho Chi Minh departure unless Vietjet publishes a new timetable. The official twice-weekly clock is Tuesday and Saturday from SGN, and Wednesday and Sunday from WSI.
Why Western Sydney is a different booking than Kingsford Smith
Vietjet already flies to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. The new airport is a fifth Australian city pair, not a replacement for those four. Western Sydney International, also called Nancy-Bird Walton Airport, sits at Badgerys Creek, well west of the Kingsford Smith terminals most Vietnam flights use today.
The practical difference is ground time and night access. Kingsford Smith still runs a night curfew. Western Sydney is being built as a 24-hour airport, which is why a 9:20 p.m. Ho Chi Minh departure can land at 10:00 a.m. without fighting the older airport’s overnight limits. The airport is also closer to the western suburbs that already hold more than half of Greater Sydney’s Vietnamese community, a point Western Sydney CEO Simon Hickey made in Vietjet’s release when he put that population above 70,000 people.
That does not make WSI automatically faster for every traveler. A visitor staying near the Harbour, the CBD, or the eastern beaches may still lose the airport’s western location on the road, especially before rail and motorway links are proven in daily use. A family visiting relatives in Cabramatta, Fairfield, or other western suburbs may save a long cross-city transfer that currently starts at Kingsford Smith.
Vietjet’s existing Sydney service remains the default if you need the established airport, the current rail and bus pattern, or a denser bank of connecting flights. Book WSI only when the new airport’s location or its lack of a night curfew is the point of the trip.
Who this route is for
The cleanest use case is visiting friends and relatives between southern Vietnam and western Sydney. Hickey’s quote is not decoration. It explains why Vietjet and the airport timed the announcement during Vietnam’s state visit and why tickets went on sale the same day.
Business travelers between Ho Chi Minh City and the Western Sydney Aerotropolis get a second reason. Vietjet describes the new airport as a growth center for manufacturing, logistics, and technology, and the A330 cabin includes a Business product with lounge access, a flat bed, hot meals, and a baggage allowance of up to 60 kilograms plus one golf set, according to Business Traveller.
Tourism and education traffic can use the same seats, but this is not a mass daily shuttle. Two flights a week means a missed aircraft is not a same-evening recovery. If your dates are rigid, buy the exact Tuesday or Saturday outbound you can actually use, then hold a backup on Vietjet’s Kingsford Smith service or another Vietnam-Australia carrier.
SkyJoy members can earn and redeem on the route, Vietjet says. That matters only if your existing Vietjet balance is large enough to move a January seat. Do not assume a new airport automatically creates extra award inventory in the first weeks.
What the sale does and does not cover
Vietjet is using the launch to push a short fare sale across its whole Vietnam-Australia network, not only the new WSI flights. The official promotion page says travelers can take 20 percent off Deluxe, SkyBoss, and Business base fares, excluding taxes and fees, through 11:00 p.m. on August 16, 2026, Vietnam time.
Business Traveller reports the same window and says travel on the discounted fares must fall between September 7, 2026 and March 31, 2027. That travel window does cover the January launch, so a January WSI seat can sit inside the sale if the fare class qualifies.
The sale does not automatically cut Eco seats, and it does not waive taxes. Enter the current official promo code on Vietjet’s site or app, then compare the taxed total against an unmodified fare before you assume you are saving 20 percent on the whole ticket. The promotion is a base-fare cut on named cabins, not a headline-to-checkout guarantee.
Tickets for the Ho Chi Minh to Western Sydney pair are already visible on Vietjet’s booking path. If a calendar date in January 2027 will not price, wait for the next inventory load rather than treating a blank day as proof the route was cancelled.
How this sits next to Air New Zealand’s October start
Western Sydney is scheduled to open to passengers on October 25, 2026. Vietjet’s January 9 service therefore arrives after the airport’s first passenger season, not on opening day.
Deep Arrival already covered Air New Zealand’s plan to be the first international airline at Western Sydney from October 26. That stream is the October inaugural, not this Vietnam route. Do not merge the two cards. One is a New Zealand launch at opening. The other is a January Vietjet A330 into the same airport.
Aviation Week, citing the airline and airport, also says a third weekly Vietjet flight is planned for March 2027 and that Thai VietJet intends four weekly Bangkok flights from November 2027. Those later frequencies are not on Vietjet’s August 10 investor schedule, so treat them as reported plans until the official timetable adds them.
The same Aviation Week recap says New South Wales supported the Ho Chi Minh flights through the Western Sydney International Takeoff Fund. That explains why the state wanted the route. It does not change the traveler action, which is still to buy a dated ticket or keep flying into Kingsford Smith.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Want the first WSI Vietnam seats | Book Vietjet now. Official January inventory is already on sale. |
| Need Kingsford Smith instead | Keep Vietjet’s existing SYD, MEL, BNE, or PER flights. |
| Want cheaper premium seats | Use the official Vietnam-Australia sale before August 16. |
| Only need October WSI access | That is the Air New Zealand opening, not this January route. |
- March frequency: Aviation Week reports a third weekly flight in March 2027. Official IR still lists two.
- Airport opening: Passenger operations are due October 25, 2026, before Vietjet’s January start.
- Ground links: Road and rail timing to Badgerys Creek will decide whether WSI actually saves time.
- Thai VietJet: A reported November 2027 Bangkok service is a separate booking, not this SGN route.
The traveler move is narrow. If western Sydney or a 24-hour arrival is the point of the trip, the January 9 Vietjet A330 is now a real ticket. If you need the established Sydney airport, stay on the Kingsford Smith flights Vietjet already sells and let this fifth gateway remain optional.
When does Vietjet start Ho Chi Minh to Western Sydney flights?
Vietjet’s official release dates the launch to January 9, 2027, with Tuesday and Saturday departures from Ho Chi Minh City.
Are Vietjet Western Sydney tickets on sale now?
Yes. Vietjet and the airport said tickets went on sale with the August 10 announcement, and the booking path is open.
Does this replace Vietjet flights into Sydney Kingsford Smith?
No. Vietjet already serves Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. Western Sydney is an added fifth Australian gateway.
Is the 20 percent fare sale only for the new route?
No. The official promotion applies to Deluxe, SkyBoss, and Business base fares across Vietjet’s Vietnam-Australia network through August 16, 2026.
