(VOVworld) - Air New Zealand has confirmed it would fly three times a week from Auckland to Ho Chi Minh City, starting next June. Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon said selecting Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam as a new international destination was in line with the airline's "Pacific Rim focus." He added that Vietnam is an increasingly popular leisure destination with the number of Kiwis visiting the country up about 20 percent in the past year. Air New Zealand’s House of Travel commercial director Brent Thomas said he expects the route to be skewed towards New Zealand outbound traffic as opposed to inbound Vietnamese.