Qatar Airways has launched scheduled flights to Hanoi, Vietnam and added frequencies to its Ho Chi Minh City route, nearly tripling the airline’s number of services in and out of Vietnam.

Qatar Airways now operates 11 flights a week from Doha to Vietnam’s two largest cities, up from its previous four frequencies a week to Ho Chi Minh City. The Hanoi route operates four-times-a-week while the Ho Chi Minh City services have been boosted to daily. Both sectors operate via Bangkok.

Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Airways said, “Qatar Airways appreciates the support provided by the Vietnamese government in allowing us to almost triple the number of flights we operate to the country. The bilateral relationship between Qatar and Vietnam has grown significantly in recent years and this route development is one of the results of this growing friendship. Vietnam has long been an attractive leisure destination and with the country’s economic strength continuing to build, we are also seeing more business travel in and out of the country. Qatar Airways has introduced its new Hanoi route and placed additional frequencies to Ho Chi Minh City to push our advantage over our competitors and to grow our market share as the country grows.”

Qatar Airways is making use of fifth freedom traffic rights and is selling seats between Vietnam and Thailand on both its Hanoi – Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City – Bangkok routes.