Vietnam looks to Hong Kong for tourists

The city of Da Nang in Vietnam is pushing ahead with plans to launch a direct air service with Hong Kong.

It recently hosted journalists and tour operators from Hong Kong to bolster tourism in the city. The group of 20 journalists and tour operators spent a five-day familiarisation trip to study the city's tourism. The Hong Kong delegation visited various tourist and historic sites in the city.

Vietnam Airlines, which organized the trip, said that three Hong Kong-Da Nang charter flights began operating in late September 30 and early October on a exploratory basis.

The airline had been carrying about 175 passengers on its 181-seat aircraft, or 85% to 90% of its seating capacity. It saw this as a good sign to open direct service between the two destinations.

Da Nang International Airport, located at the center of the city, is the third largest international airport in Vietnam. Vietnam will have another international airport in 2020 that will serve as one of the largest transit airports in Southeast Asia.

The Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai Province in southern Vietnam, is located 40 kilometers northeast of Ho Chi Minh City and 70 kilometers northwest of the coastal city of Vung Tau. Tan Son Nhat International Airport is currently the largest airport in Vietnam.

The new Long Thanh airport is graded “4F,” meaning it will be capable of serving 100 million passengers and 5 million tons of goods a year. The construction of the airport is to start in 2015 and be completed in 2020.