Vietjet has become a low-cost carrier with a European footprint. On 10 October, the Vietnamese airline launched twice-weekly flights connecting Hanoi with Prague, routing through Almaty in Kazakhstan — and for Australians already flying Vietjet from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, it opens up a genuinely different way to reach Europe.

The operation is straightforward: an Airbus A330 flies the Hanoi–Almaty–Prague circuit on Tuesdays and Saturdays, with travellers between Vietnam and the Czech Republic changing planes during a scheduled 90-minute stop in Almaty each way. Outbound, VJ031 leaves Hanoi at 8.25am and reaches Prague at 6.55pm local time. The return, VJ032, departs Prague at 8.55pm and arrives in Hanoi the following afternoon at 4.20pm. Note the frequencies — just twice a week — so this route rewards flexible plans rather than tightly packed itineraries.

What makes the launch interesting is the twin-centre potential. Instead of treating Vietnam as a stopover, you can build a proper two-part holiday: street food, egg coffee and the Old Quarter in Hanoi at one end, then Prague's Gothic spires and Baroque squares at the other, all on one carrier. Almaty even adds a third option — Kazakhstan's largest city sits near the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains and is now reachable on both sectors of the route.

Onboard, Vietjet offers Business and SkyBoss fare tiers, with a menu spanning Vietnamese staples like pho, banh mi and iced milk coffee alongside international dishes. The airline is IATA-membered and holds the IOSA safety certification — worth knowing if you've only ever associated it with ultra-low-cost Southeast Asian hops.

One catch: no through-fares for the Australia–Prague journey were published at launch, so pricing a trip means booking the Australia–Vietnam leg and the new Europe service together as a connection. Vietjet has also flagged that Prague is only the start of its European push, and it has separately confirmed new flights to Western Sydney International Airport from January 2027.

For travellers happy to trade daily frequencies for a lower fare, this is a fresh alternative to the usual Gulf and Asian hubs — with a Vietnamese holiday built in along the way.