GGRAsia – Vietnam carriers to fly to China amid regional travel easing

Vietnam carriers to fly to China amid regional travel easing

Mar 17, 2023 Newsdesk Latest News, Rest of Asia, Top of the deck

Several Vietnamese air carriers are to resume flights between that country and cities in mainland China later this month, reported media outlet VnExpress, linking the news to China’s recent decision to permit resumption of tour-group trade inbound to Vietnam.

Budget carrier Vietjet Air (pictured) had announced on Wednesday that it would during March restart air services to places including Tianjin, Zhangjiajie and Chengdu in China, said the news outlet.

Vietnam on Wednesday welcomed the first tour groups from China in three years, stated VnExpress.

In other developments, Macau’s Civil Aviation Authority recently approved services by a number of regional carriers. They included Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways for flights between Macau and Vietnam.

VnExpress said that in April, Bamboo Airways plans to operate charter flights between Nha Trang and Macau with four flights per week; and Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City to Haikou on the Chinese mainland, with three weekly flights.

In terms of the mainland China market as a whole, Vietjet Air currently operates flights from major Vietnamese tourist destinations to Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Wuhan with a frequency of one trip per week, stated the report.

The national carrier, Vietnam Airlines, plans to resume flights to China’s Nanjing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Sichuan in April, it was stated.

Vietnam Airlines is said to be operating currently routes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, to Shanghai and Guangzhou with a frequency of 12 flights per week.

Vietnam has a casino industry, with all but one of the venues open only to foreigners. In the autumn, Vietnam and China agreed to promote bilateral cooperation against “cross-border gambling” among a number of law enforcement topics.

In other developments in terms of expansion of tourism within the region after the pandemic, Vietnam’s prime minister, Pham Minh Chinh, said on Wednesday he would request that his country ease entry protocols for travellers from additional jurisdictions in terms of visa waiver and permitted length of stay.

That news was reported by Viet Nam Government Portal, an official outlet.

Under the current policy, the government unilaterally exempts visa requirement for citizens from 13 countries, namely Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Belarus, for a maximum stay of 15 days, according to the official news service. This policy is applicable until March 14, 2025 and may be considered for further extension.

According to the official outlet, the Vietnam government has also reached agreements on bilateral visa exemption for ordinary passport holders of 12 countries: Chile, Panama, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, and Myanmar.