MCIA receives official announcement of planned direct Cebu to Ho Chi Minh service during the state visit of Vietnam President Tô Lâm
Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), operated by Aboitiz InfraCapital Cebu Airport Corporation (ACAC), welcomed Vietnam’s leading budget carrier VietJet Air with its plans to launch a direct route between Ho Chi Minh City and Cebu, further strengthening air connectivity between two of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic tourism and economic hubs.
The announcement ceremony was led by VietJet Air’s Vice Chairman Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hung, together with Aboitiz InfraCapital President and CEO Cosette V. Canilao, during the Vietnam–Philippines Business Forum held on June 1, 2026 at Diamond Hotel Manila. The event formed part of the State Visit of Vietnamese President Tô Lâm, hosted by Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., underscoring the growing strategic partnership between the two countries in trade, investment, tourism, and connectivity.
“This development reflects the growing demand for travel between Cebu and Vietnam and highlights the strength of the relationship between our two countries. Direct connectivity plays a vital role in stimulating tourism, facilitating commerce, and creating opportunities that benefit our communities and economies,” said Canilao.
With this new direct route, Filipino travelers can now easily access Vietnam and other Asian countries, Vietnamese travelers are now also a flight away to discovering other exciting Philippine destinations via MCIA, the country’s busiest gateway outside Manila.
The planned Cebu–Ho Chi Minh City service marks a significant milestone in enhancing tourism, trade, and people-to-people exchanges between Vietnam and the Philippines. The new route is expected to provide travelers with greater convenience while opening new opportunities for business, investment, and leisure travel across both markets.
The announcement follows the successful operation of a series of VietJet charter flights between Da Nang, Vietnam and Cebu, which targeted the Philippine outbound leisure market and achieved strong passenger demand.
Recognizing the potential of the Vietnamese market, ACAC intensified its route development efforts through a series of strategic engagements with VietJet Air and Vietnam Airlines. These initiatives included airline headquarters visits, executive-level discussions, and participation in major international route development forums such as Routes World and Routes Asia. ACAC also shared comprehensive market intelligence, traffic demand analyses, and growth projections directly with airline network planning and commercial teams, demonstrating Cebu’s strong potential as a growing international gateway.
The planned launch of direct flights between Cebu and Ho Chi Minh City highlights the success of these collaborative route development initiatives and reinforces MCIA’s commitment to expanding international connectivity, supporting tourism growth, and strengthening Cebu’s position as a leading gateway to the Philippines. This development further advances MCIA’s Ceb Connects program, which aims to make Cebu as the Philippines’ premier tourism transfer hub, seamlessly connecting international travelers to destinations across the country’s islands.
With Vietnam emerging as one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing travel markets, the new service—expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2026—is poised to enhance accessibility between the two destinations while creating new opportunities for travelers, tourism stakeholders, and businesses alike.