Phu Quoc receives first direct flight from Bangkok

By Ngoc Tai October 12, 2022 | 02:35 am PT

Long Beach on Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang Province. Photo by VnExpress/Khanh Tran

A non-stop flight carrying 126 passengers from Bangkok landed at Phu Quoc Internaitonal Airport on Wednesday afternoon, marking the first direct service between the Vietnamese tourist island and Thai capital.

There will be four weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays with a flight time exceeding one hour.

Earlier, people flying on the route had to transit in Ho Chi Minh City.

The opening of the direct flight came as both Vietnam and Thailand reopened their borders to foreign tourists and lifted most Covid restrictions.

Woranate Laprabang, general director of Vietjet Thailand, said Phu Quoc is a popular tourist destination and the new flight would help bring in more Thai tourists to Vietnam post reopening.

Thailand was Vietnam's fastest growing tourist market before the pandemic, with the number of visitors from that country rising by 46% year-on-year to 509,000 in 2019.

Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island, is famous for its white-sand beaches and fish sauce, an indispensable Vietnamese condiment.

The island has become globally popular since the government allowed 30-day visa free entry in 2014.