Da Nang to fully reopen aviation, tourism next month

By Hoang Phong February 8, 2022 | 01:12 am PT

People swim at a beach in Da Nang City, July 10, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong

Authorities in Da Nang City, a popular tourism hub in central Vietnam, plan to resume all flight routes and tourism activities next month to boost economic recovery.

City Chairman Le Trung Chinh told a meeting Tuesday the number of tourists to Da Nang during the Tet holiday break increased by 17 percent year-on-year, a positive sign.

Despite severe pandemic impacts, major travel firms like Nui Than Tai Hot Springs Park and Sun World Ba Na Hills have invested in new tourism products to serve visitors, he said.

On Jan. 1, Vietnam allowed regular return flights to the U.S. and eight Asian destinations to resume in the first phase of a program to revive international travelers.

Currently, Da Nang is not connected to the U.S. and has not yet resumed commercial flights to the Asian destinations.

Da Nang is one of seven localities that fully vaccinated foreign tourists are allowed to visit under the vaccine passport trial program, the others being Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Quang Nam, and Quang Ninh provinces and Ho Chi Minh City.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked government units to prepare to fully reopen the borders soon, ideally by the end of March.

Da Nang received 1.17 million domestic tourists last year, down 55.8 percent from 2019.