DALLAS  — On October 5, Vietnam Airlines (VN) inaugurated its inaugural and sole nonstop flight between Munich, the capital of Bavaria, and Vietnam.

The inaugural flight, VN35, departed to to Munich Airport (MUC) from Nội Bài International Airport (HAN) in Hà Nội at 00:05 local time.

The Vietnamese flag carrier intends to broaden its service by introducing a route from Ho Chi Minh City (HCM City) to MUC on October 7, 2024, following the inaugural flight and just in time for for Munich's annual Oktoberfest celebration.

The Boeing 787, a contemporary wide-body aircraft, will operate this two-times-weekly service, departing from Hà Nội for Munich on Fridays and Sundays and returning from Munich to Hà Nội on Mondays and Saturdays.

As for  HCM City, flights will depart from Ho Chi Minh (SGN) on Mondays and Munich on Tuesdays for the Munich service. Flights departing from HCM City and Munich on Wednesdays and Thursdays, respectively, will be operated with increased frequency beginning in December 2024.

The news comes two weeks after the airline announced that commencing July 1, 2025, it would start a nonstop service from Hanoi to Milan.

Vietnam Airlines will also deploy its Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the Milan route, which will expand the airline’s European network to nine destinations. This may increase after 2025 as VN said it has “outlined plans” to introduce a later HCM City-Milan route. 

The “lotus carrier” will be the only Vietnamese airline to offer nonstop service to Italy and the only airline between HAN, SGN, Paris, Frankfurt, and London.