Vietnam Airlines, Saigontourist sign MoUs worth $450M with Chinese companies

By Thi Ha April 10, 2024 | 11:21 pm PT

A representative of Vietnam Airlines (L, front) signs a memorandum of understanding with Shanghai Wan Jun Aviation Service on April 10, 2024. Photo courtesy of Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Airlines and tourism firm Saigontourist have signed agreements worth US$450 million with two Chinese companies for organizing charter flights, tourism events and researching new charter routes and exchanging operational experiences.

The state-owned firms signed memorandums of understanding with Shanghai Boxi Aviation Technology and Beijing Cosmos Travel International in the presence of National Assembly chairman Vuong Dinh Hue who is on an official visit to China from April 9 to 11.

Vietnam Airlines also signed an MOU with Shanghai Wan Jun Aviation Service for cargo transport.

The airline operates 33 weekly flights to China.

This week it celebrated its 100,000th flight between the two countries, and has transported 11 million passengers and 166,000 tons of cargo.

In the first quarter the number of Chinese tourists arriving in Vietnam rose by 635% year-on-year to 890,000.

Last year China was the second largest source market with 1.8 million tourists.