Vietnam–Czech Republic Direct Flight: A Strategic Gateway for Trade, Tourism, Labor, Investment, and Education

The relationship between Vietnam and the Czech Republic has been developing positively across multiple sectors, from economics to socio-cultural cooperation. In this context, the establishment of a direct air route between the two countries is considered strategically significant, promising to facilitate trade, tourism, labor, investment, and education. Below is a brief analysis of the potential of a Vietnam–Czech direct flight across these aspects, along with updates on the current state of air connectivity between the two nations.

Trade: A Direct Bridge for Economic Exchange

Vietnam–Czech trade cooperation has witnessed robust growth in recent years. Bilateral trade turnover has doubled in just five years, reaching USD 3.8 billion in 2024—an increase of about 31% compared to the previous year. Vietnam is currently the most important trading partner of the Czech Republic in ASEAN, effectively leveraging the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

Vietnam's main exports to the Czech Republic include electronics, textiles, and footwear, while the Czech Republic excels in machinery, equipment, and technology. A direct air route would greatly benefit business travel, reduce travel time, and boost the speed and efficiency of trade and goods transport. Authorities from both countries have recognized that a direct Hanoi–Prague flight is essential to fully unlock bilateral economic and trade potential in this new phase.

Tourism: Boosting Two-Way Travel

The tourism potential between Vietnam and the Czech Republic is substantial yet underexplored. Tens of thousands of Czech tourists visit Vietnam annually to experience Eastern culture and tropical beaches, while Vietnamese tourists are increasingly drawn to Europe’s landscapes and Czech heritage, especially the capital, Prague.

The Vietnamese government has implemented temporary visa exemptions for Czech citizens traveling in groups, providing a major push for inbound Czech tourism. On the other side, the Czech Republic is keen to attract Vietnamese visitors through initiatives like establishing a Czech cultural center in Vietnam and promoting direct flights to emerging tourist destinations.

A direct route would significantly reduce travel time and costs for tourists, enhancing the appeal of tours between the two countries and boosting bilateral tourism exchanges. Under their strategic partnership framework, both countries have agreed to jointly explore direct flights and co-develop tourism products to tap into each other’s markets.

Photo caption: Czech tourists lining up for check-in at Phu Quoc International Airport, Vietnam (2023). The launch of charter flights from Prague to Phu Quoc reflects rising tourism demand between the two nations.

Labor: Connecting Communities and Human Resources

The Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic is large—about 100,000 people, ranking third among ethnic communities in the country—and is officially recognized as a national minority. This community maintains strong ties with their homeland and plays a vital role in promoting people-to-people cooperation between the two countries.

A direct air link would facilitate easier travel for Vietnamese in the Czech Republic to visit family, engage in business, and maintain community bonds. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic is facing a labor shortage in several sectors—especially healthcare and eldercare due to an aging population.

The Czech government has worked with Vietnam to promote bilateral labor agreements, including for nursing staff. A direct route would reduce geographical barriers, easing the recruitment and movement of workers between the two nations—helping the Czech Republic meet labor demands while offering Vietnamese workers more opportunities.

Notably, the call for a direct flight has been raised repeatedly by both the community and national leaders. Representatives of the Vietnamese diaspora in the Czech Republic have petitioned for the early opening of a Prague–Hanoi direct route to serve the travel needs of citizens in both countries. This clearly shows a strong and legitimate demand for labor and family connectivity.

Investment: Attracting Businesses and New Projects

In terms of investment cooperation, there remains vast untapped potential. Currently, the Czech Republic has around 41 investment projects in Vietnam, with total registered capital exceeding USD 90 million—a modest figure compared to the potential. Nonetheless, the trend is picking up, with growing Czech interest in expanding economic presence in Vietnam. For instance, a Czech car assembly plant project in Quang Ninh was recently announced, signaling a shift by Czech businesses into the Vietnamese market.

Conversely, Vietnamese businesses and communities have invested millions of dollars in the Czech Republic, mainly in commerce and services. A direct route would serve as a “golden bridge” for investors and experts to travel frequently for market research, project implementation, and business monitoring.

Improved travel conditions could attract more Czech enterprises to explore cooperation opportunities in sectors such as automotive manufacturing, green energy, and precision engineering, while encouraging Vietnamese entrepreneurs to expand into the Czech market. Moreover, a direct air connection would facilitate the transportation of capital, equipment, and technology, accelerating the execution of bilateral projects.

Education: Promoting Academic Exchange

Education and training is a high-potential cooperation area between Vietnam and the Czech Republic. Since the 1980s, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) welcomed numerous Vietnamese students and researchers, laying the groundwork for a vibrant intellectual community.

Today, the Czech Republic continues to attract Vietnamese students thanks to its European-standard education, three-year university programs, and affordable costs. A growing number of Vietnamese students are pursuing degrees in IT, medicine, engineering, and more. In addition, the two countries recently signed a 2025 Education Cooperation Agreement to facilitate student exchanges and joint academic research.

Under this agreement, the Czech government will grant more scholarships to Vietnamese students and interns, while promoting partnerships between universities in both countries. A direct route would greatly support academic mobility—making it easier for Vietnamese students to study in the Czech Republic and return home, and for faculty to travel for collaborative research. In the long term, direct connectivity would make the Czech Republic even more appealing to international students, including those from Vietnam, by offering easier, more direct travel.

Current Air Connectivity

At present, no regular direct commercial flights connect Vietnam and the Czech Republic. Passengers must transit at least once, typically through hubs like Dubai, Doha, or Istanbul, or via certain European cities before connecting to Prague. As a result, the total journey time is often long—typically 14–19 hours, including layovers.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, a Vietnamese airline had planned to launch a direct Hanoi–Prague route, with a flight duration of just around 11 hours. However, the plan was disrupted due to the pandemic. Despite strong demand, no regular direct flights currently operate between the two countries. Tourists, business travelers, and overseas Vietnamese must rely on connecting flights.

Though a regular Hanoi–Prague route has yet to materialize, charter flights have been launched, showing the potential for Vietnam–Czech air connectivity. In October 2023, the first charter flight carrying 430 passengers from Prague landed in Phu Quoc Island, marking the first direct flight from the Czech Republic to Vietnam.

From late 2023 to April 2024, the Czech side organized weekly charter flights from Prague to Phu Quoc, bringing Czech tourists to Vietnam for winter vacations. This initiative reflects proactive market testing by travel agencies and airlines, and positive feedback has confirmed strong demand for a direct route. This could be a stepping stone toward launching regular direct flights in the near future, in response to rising passenger demand.

Conclusion: A Multifaceted Opportunity

Considering all factors—trade, tourism, labor, investment, and education—the benefits of establishing a direct flight between Vietnam and the Czech Republic are clear and wide-ranging. Despite the geographic distance, a direct route would shorten both space and time, enabling more comprehensive economic and cultural exchange between the two nations.

Both governments and citizens have expressed their strong desire to establish this route. With bilateral ties on the rise—evidenced by the upgrade to a Strategic Partnership in 2025—a Vietnam–Czech direct flight is well within reach, offering tangible benefits for both sides.