Vietnam, China Flights Resume After 3 Years..."Thanks to China's Eased Quarantine Measures"

[Asia Economy Reporter Byun Seon-jin] Vietnam has resumed passenger flights between the two countries after more than three years following China's relaxation of COVID-19 prevention measures. On the 7th, China announced easing measures including the abolition of routine PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing and allowing home treatment.

According to local media VN Express on the 10th, Vietnam Airlines' passenger flight took off from Ho Chi Minh Tan Son Nhat International Airport to Guangzhou at 9:55 a.m. the previous day, and will operate one flight per week going forward. This is a result of the resumption of flights to China.

Additionally, the Ho Chi Minh-Shanghai route will operate one flight per week, and the Hanoi-Shanghai route is scheduled twice weekly. With this, Vietnam Airlines' weekly flight frequency will increase to over 600 flights, which corresponds to 70% of the pre-COVID-19 levels.

The Vietnamese tourism industry expects that the resumption of flights to China will revitalize the domestic tourism sector, which had been stagnant due to COVID-19. Chinese tourists were the largest customer base for the local tourism industry, with 5.8 million entering Vietnam in 2019 before the pandemic, but the industry suffered significant damage due to COVID-19. This year, the total number of foreign visitors to Vietnam was only 2.95 million as of November.