Official direct flights between Hanoi and Phnom Penh have been launched by Vietnam Airlines in conjunction with the visit of Vietnamese President To Lam to Cambodia.
The airline signed cooperation agreements with important Cambodian partners to support the growth of aviation and tourism between the two countries, signifying this historic milestone.
Sok Soken, the Cambodian Minister of Tourism, showed his excitement during the inauguration ceremony.
“I am very pleased to participate in the opening ceremony of Vietnam Airlines’ Hanoi-Phnom Penh route and the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the Cambodia-Vietnam tourism promotion program ‘Two Countries, One Destination,’ which holds profound significance today,” he said on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia.
In addition to praising the establishment of a new link between the two cities, he announced the memorandum of understanding signed by Vietnam Airlines JSC, Cambodia Angkor Air, the Cambodian Tourism Association (CATA), and the Saigon tourism group.
The partnership seeks to improve travel comfort and promote deeper bilateral relations while fortifying commercial and tourism links.
The Airbus A321 aircraft will be used for four weekly trips on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays starting on October 27 to launch the new direct flight service.
Currently, travellers taking Indochina Airlines from Hanoi to Phnom Penh have to make a stopover at Vientiane, Laos. This layover will not occur on the new direct route, greatly increasing travel efficiency.
Vietnam Airlines and Indochina Airlines will jointly run five flights between Vietnam and Cambodia by the end of October, including four direct routes: Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh-Phnom Penh and Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh-Siem Reap. As a result, there will be 86 more flights every week between the two nations.
With its initial flights taking place 31 years ago, Vietnam Airlines has a rich history of linking Vietnam and Cambodia.
Given the long-standing and strong relations between the two nations, the airline continues to view expanding its network in Cambodia as a critical strategic goal.
Better connection and faster transit times are likely to draw tourists from Vietnam as well as other locations including South Korea, Japan, and Europe to the new direct flights.
Vietnam Airlines Corporation Chairman Dang Ngoc Hoa made the following observation on the new service: “The new direct flight enhances connectivity between Vietnam and Cambodia.” Vietnam Airlines is dedicated to operating in Cambodia safely and effectively. To please our clients, we’ll keep growing our network, encouraging collaboration, boosting competition, and providing top-notch services.
Vietnam Airlines has carried 28,400 tonnes of cargo and over 8.2 million people on more than 81,000 flights between Vietnam and Cambodia during the last thirty years.
With an annual increase in air passengers of 24%, or over 450,000 people, Cambodia has emerged as a major aviation and tourism industry.
With over a million visitors in 2023, Vietnam ranked ninth in the world travel market, while over 400,000 tourists from Cambodia travelled to Vietnam, making it the second-largest tourist destination in Cambodia.