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Hong Kong's national airline, Cathay Pacific, is celebrating 75 years of connecting Vietnamese customers with meaningful people, places, and experiences. Since its maiden flight from Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City (then known as Saigon) in 1949, Cathay Pacific in Vietnam has grown significantly, operating 24 round-trip flights weekly between Hong Kong and Vietnam's two major cities: Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Dominic Perret, CEO of Cathay Pacific Southeast Asia, said: “We are extremely proud to celebrate this significant milestone with our partners and customers in Vietnam. Since our first flight to Ho Chi Minh City in 1949, we have witnessed Vietnam’s remarkable growth, and we are honored to be a part of this journey. The increased frequency of flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi demonstrates our commitment to serving the growing needs of our customers in Vietnam. We look forward to continuing this journey to support passenger and cargo connections to and from a dynamic market like Vietnam.”
Cathay Pacific's first flight to Hai Phong in 1949 (source: Swire Archives)
Mr. Nicolas Masse, Country Director for Vietnam and Cambodia at Cathay Pacific, shared: “The Vietnamese market is experiencing strong growth, with exceptional growth in foreign direct investment (FDI). The Cathay team in Vietnam is extremely proud to play a vital role in supporting the transportation of people and goods to and from Vietnam. We are committed to continuously strengthening our role as a trusted partner for our Vietnamese customers, and will continue to work alongside them for many years to come.”
Long-standing presence and development in Vietnam over several decades.
Cathay Pacific's journey in Vietnam began with its maiden flight to Ho Chi Minh City on November 2, 1949, with just 23 passengers. Shortly thereafter, on November 11, 1949, the airline began operating passenger service to Hai Phong. This route was later expanded to include round-trip flights between Hai Phong and Hanoi. From these gateways in Vietnam, customers could easily connect to Hong Kong and other destinations.
Today, Cathay Pacific customers can enjoy seamless connectivity to the Cathay Group's extensive network through its Hong Kong operations center connecting to over 80 destinations worldwide, including mainland China, Northeast Asia, Europe, and North America. Cathay Pacific recently announced a new route to Dallas [1] – a popular destination for Vietnamese travelers – which will be launched in 2025, adding to the airline's North American network.
Cathay Pacific continues to strengthen its presence in the Vietnamese market by promoting business, trade, and tourism opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative.
A nostalgic and emotional presentation of Cathay Pacific's flight attendant uniforms through the decades.
In addition to 14 weekly flights from Ho Chi Minh City, the airline has increased the frequency of flights between Hanoi and Hong Kong from 9 to 10 flights per week starting October 31, 2024. To better serve business travelers, flights from Hanoi are now operated on wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft, featuring a spacious business class cabin.
In Vietnam, customers can fly to Hong Kong from Da Nang via codeshare flights operated by HK Express, a Cathay Pacific partner airline. This service will also be available on the Phu Quoc - Hong Kong route from December 6th.
Shipping goods from Vietnam to the world.
Beyond being a popular tourist destination, Vietnam is also an important business and trade hub, driven by a rapidly developing manufacturing sector and a growing demand for air cargo.
On Cathay Pacific's first passenger flight to Vietnam, the aircraft also transported a significant amount of cargo, including fresh produce and diplomatic mail. Demonstrating the importance of the Vietnamese market to its global cargo network, Cathay Cargo began operating dedicated cargo flights from Ho Chi Minh City, followed by Hanoi in March 2008.
Today, Cathay Cargo operates daily cargo flights from Hanoi and weekly cargo flights from Ho Chi Minh City, transporting technology products, apparel, footwear, and perishable goods to key destinations such as Hong Kong, mainland China, Northeast Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America.
Cathay Group continues to expand its flight network and destinations within its global passenger network. By 2025, the airline aims to connect customers to 100 destinations worldwide.
