Vietnam Airlines began direct flights between Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur today, a day after inaugurating services between the Vietnamese capital and Singapore, the company said.

The national flag carrier will run a thrice-weekly service, departing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, to the Malaysian capital using Airbus A320 aircraft, Vietnam Airlines spokesman Nguyen Chan said.

The company is considering daily round-trip flights to Kuala Lumpur by the end of the year if the demand is there, according to an official from the airline's market planning department.

Vietnam Airlines currently operates daily flights from the southern business capital of Ho Chi Minh City to Kuala Lumpur.

Ambitious expansion

Meanwhile, the carrier on Sunday began flights between Hanoi and Singapore, flying four times per week in each direction, also using Airbus A320 planes. It already has a daily service to the city state from Ho Chi Minh City.

Over the past year, Vietnam Airlines, one of the best of the communist nation's inefficient state-owned enterprises, has been rolling out an ambitious route expansion programme, fuelled by the delivery of new planes.

The company is due to begin direct twice-weekly flights between Ho Chi Minh City and the South Korean city of Busan on Nov 20.

It currently has 34 aircraft in its fleet and flies to more than 20 international destinations. - AFP