Direct flights to connect Hanoi with Shenzhen, Guangzhou

By Vy An, Nguyen Quy September 20, 2018 | 02:01 am PT

Hoan Kiem Lake (Sword Lake) is one of the major scenic spots in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Ho Ha

On September 30, Shenzhen Airlines will launch daily direct flights between Hanoi and Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

The first daily flights opened by the Chinese carrier aim to meet growing travel demand for short holidays and business trips between the three destinations.

Operating once a day, the return flights will take around two-three hours each.

For the Shenzhen-Hanoi route, flights will take off at 4:20 a.m. from Hanoi and arrive at 6:55 a.m. in Shenzhen. The return trip will depart from Shenzhen at 0:55 a.m.

Flights to Guangzhou will leave Hanoi at 3:30 a.m. and land at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 6:15 a.m., and the return trip will take off at 0:40 a.m.

China has continued to dominate foreign arrivals to Vietnam, with nearly 3.4 million in the first eight months of this year, a year-on-year surge of 28.2 percent.

A representative of Shenzhen Airlines Holiday, a travel agent of Shenzhen Airlines, said the flights will take tourists to many popular tourist destinations in China’s two major tourism hubs including wedding-themed parks, the Splendid China Folk Village and the Window of the World Safari Park.

Visitors to Hanoi will be able to enjoy visits to ancient pagodas, temples, historic relics and a scattering of picturesque lakes like the Sword Lake, West Lake, Ngoc Son Temple, Tran Quoc Pagoda and Long Bien Bridge, the source added.

Nguyen Quy Phuong, head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism’s travel department, said the direct flights will attract more foreigners to Vietnam.

Earlier, national carrier Vietnam Airlines had cooperated with China Southern Airlines to open the Hanoi-Shenzhen and Hanoi- Guangzhou routes, given that Chinese tourists were Vietnam’s biggest feeder market now.

Vietnam is enjoying a tourism boom, with 12.9 million foreign visitors arriving in 2017, a rise of 29.1 percent against the previous year.

A report published in June by the United Nations World Tourism Organization ranked Vietnam’s tourism growth at seventh in the world, and the country was the only destination in Southeast Asia to make the top 10.

Tourism is expected to contribute 10 percent to Vietnam’s GDP by 2020, when the country hopes to welcome up to 20 million foreign visitors and earn $35 billion in tourism revenues.