First regular direct flight from US lands in Da Nang

The Vietnam Airlines flight carrying 170 passengers embarked from San Francisco International Airport at 11:28 p.m. Monday (local time) and landed at Da Nang International Airport at 6:03 a.m. Wednesday (local time), after a 14,000-kilometer journey.

The San Francisco-HCMC flight landed in Da Nang as requested by the Vietnamese government's quarantine regulations for foreign passengers, Vietnam Airlines stated.

Currently, the Health Ministry allows fully vaccinated foreign arrivals to undergo seven-day mandatory quarantine while covering their own expenses.

On Monday, Vietnam Airlines became the first carrier in the country to operate a regular non-stop flight to the U.S., achieving a dream cherished for nearly two decades.

Initially, the airline will conduct two flights per week from Ho Chi Minh City to San Francisco using the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, the two most modern wide-body aircraft.

The airline aims to increase the frequency to seven flights per week after the Covid-19 pandemic is brought under control and the government agrees to resume regular commercial flights. Authorities plan to resume international flights from this month.

Vietnam Airlines also seeks to open a new route connecting Los Angeles to Hanoi and HCMC, the country's two biggest metropolises.

There are nearly 24,000 Vietnamese students and approximately 2.2 million overseas Vietnamese living in the U.S., according to official statistics.