Thai AirAsia, a subsidiary of Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia, will open direct flights between Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur next month, said a company official.

The airline will fly the route daily.

"Air Asia was established to create an extensive route network to Kuala Lumpur as well as to other cities in the region and to grow the regional aviation market by making flying affordable to more people," Tony Fernandez, AirAsia Group CEO, said in a statement.

Thai AirAsia, which entered the Vietnam market in 2005, currently flies twice a day between Hanoi and Bangkok.

Singapore-based Tiger Airways became the first budget airline operating flights to Vietnam in April last year.

The Vietnamese market is now shared by more than 20 international airlines and two domestic carriers.