A Vietnamese airline begins service between Nha Trang and Singapore.

As tourism increases, Vietnam Airlines has become the first Vietnamese airline to run a direct route between Singapore with the seaside resort town of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province.

The first aircraft from Singapore arrived at Cam Ranh International Airport on Friday with 160 passengers on board. Nha Trang, known for its luxurious resorts and long, sandy beaches, is around 40 kilometers away.

There would be two round-trip flights each week.

The local travel industry has been looking for ways to diversify its markets because China is still pursuing a zero-Covid policy with stringent travel restrictions, according to Nguyen Thi Le Thanh, director of the provincial tourism department. The local travel industry is heavily dependent on Chinese tourists.

She mentioned Singapore as a prospective travel destination.

According to the provincial tourist agency, Khanh Hoa has welcomed almost 31,000 foreign visitors in the first five months of this year, an increase of 75% over the same period last year.

Over seven million tourists, half of whom were foreigners, visited Khanh Hoa in 2019, the year before the commencement of Covid.

As of March 15, Singapore and other ASEAN nations were once again eligible for visa-free entrance into Vietnam.

In a similar move, Singapore eliminated the requirement for hotel quarantine for travelers traveling from Vietnam beginning on March 16.

Source: VnExpress