Lao Airlines confirmed this week that it will resume flights connecting the Lao capital Vientiane with Da Nang, a coastal city in central Vietnam.
The airline announced on its Facebook page that it will resume services on March 29, 2026, offering return flights every Thursday and Sunday, using a Comac 909 aircraft on the route with 90 seats in economy class only. Flight time: 1 hour 20 minutes.
QV317 departs Vientiane (VTE) at 11:20 and arrives in Da Nang (DAD) at 12:40.
QV318 departs Da Nang (DAD) at 13:50 and arrives in Vientiane (VTE) at 15:10.
Ticket sales are open at the airline’s ticket offices in Laos, through authorized ticketing agents, and on the airline’s website and app. On its website, the airline is offering round-trip fares of $290 for bookings in April 2026.
Before the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, the airline had operated the Vientiane-Da Nang route using an ATR-72; 70 seats, with a stopover in Pakse, southern Laos.
The airline had attempted to resume direct service between Vientiane and Da Nang in 2023 using an Airbus A320, but suspended the service due to poor market response following the COVID-19 outbreak.
This time, it presents a good opportunity for Lao Airlines as the airline has a suitable size aircraft for the route, the C909, with 90 seats, compared to the ATR72 (70 seats) and A320 (148 seats) that were previously used on the route after the COVID-19 outbreak.
International tourists, too, are increasingly flocking to Da Nang, with the city expected to welcome 19 million visitors this year. Many tourists from South Korea and China are now using Da Nang as a hub and looking for “short-haul” trips to places like Luang Prabang or Vientiane.
Lao Airlines is shifting to international services and relying on these international tourists, rather than serving domestically only.