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| A plane of Hong Kong Express Airways at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi (Photo: VNA) |
The first flight, coded UO550, landed at Noi Bai International Airport at 09:01am on the same day.
The low-cost airline operates a round-trip flight, using Airbus A320, with the flight time of around two hours.
This is the third international airline in 2023 to open a new regular route to Hanoi, after Starlux Airlines of China’s Taiwan and Xiamen Airlines of China, bringing the total number of international and domestic airlines operating at the Noi Bai airport to 53.
With the opening of this new route, Hanoi becomes one of the 29 attractive and safe destinations of HK Express.
Le Figaro selects Vietnam as most attractive long-distance trip in 2023
According to VOV, French daily newspaper Le Figaro recently published an article highlighting Vietnam as one of the most attractive long-distance trips for this year.
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| Tam Coc in the northern province of Ninh Binh boasts sparkling rice paddies and spectacular rocky mountains |
The media outlet pointed out that Vietnam can be considered a winter destination for French tourists. However, spring is also a suitable time as tourists are able to avoid the crowds and troubles that come with travelling during the peak season.
Le Figaro also described Vietnam as the worthy destination to experience nature and indigenous cultures.
The author suggested that guests take a 16-day trip to explore the country from North to South to savour scenic views of green rice fields and gain greater insights into the tradition of knitting or dyeing indigo of the Dao and Mong ethnic communities in Sa Pa, a famous tourist destination in northern Vietnam.
The author also suggested that tourists spend time visiting Tam Coc in the northern province of Ninh Binh, a site which boasts sparkling rice paddies and spectacular rocky mountains and has been dubbed "Ha Long Bay on land".
Tourists can also call at the laboratory of a fragrance chemist or immerse themselves into local life on a farm run by farmers.
During the journey to the ancient capital of Hue, a local chef can take visitors directly to the market and select ingredients for a cooking class.
Furthermore, the enchanting beaches in Quy Nhon or Tuy Hoa in the central region will be the next stop before ending the journey by discovering the bustling Ho Chi Minh City.
Aside from Vietnam, the author also introduced other destinations that tourists can explore this year, including Malaysia, India, the Republic of Korea, Namibia, Ethiopia, South Africa, Costa Rica, the United States, and Iceland.
Second int'l hot-air balloon festival opens in Tuyen Quang
The second International Hot-Air Balloon Festival opened in Tuyen Quang city in the northern mountainous province of the same name on April 28, reported VNA.
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| Second int'l hot-air balloon festival opens in Tuyen Quang (Source: NDO) |
The festival, which will last to May 2, will be the highlight of the Tuyen Quang Tourism Year 2023.
It will take place across two venues, namely Nguyen Tat Thanh Square in Tuyen Quang city, and Na Tong Stadium in Lam Binh district.
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Second International Hot-Air Balloon Festival brings together a total of 20 balloons
(Photo: VNA) |
This year’s edition brings together a total of 20 balloons under the control of experienced pilots from different countries and territories around the world, including Japan, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, the Netherlands, India, Slovakia, Russia, Taiwan (China), and Vietnam.
During the five-day event, visitors will have a chance to fly the balloons and see major local tourist sites from above, visit caves, go kayaking on Na Hang lake, and participate in a series of entertainment activities.
This year, Tuyen Quang is aiming to welcome more than 2.5 million tourist arrivals.
Vietnam Airlines to launch Hanoi - Melbourne route on June 15
According to VNA, Vietnam Airlines will officially launch a direct route between Hanoi and Melbourne of Australia on June 15, with two round-trip flights per week on Thursdays and Sundays.
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| A plane of Vienam Airlines (Source: VNA) |
The first flight is scheduled to depart from Hanoi at 0:05am and arrive in Melbourne at 12:30pm on June 15. The plane will return from the second biggest city of Australia at 3pm and land in the capital of Vietnam at 9:35pm the same day.
With the new route opening, Vietnam Airlines is operating the largest number of direct air routes with the highest frequency between Vietnam and Australia – four routes with 18 flights per week connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with Sydney and Melbourne.
The national flag carrier said all the routes linking with Australia use modern wide-body aircraft Airbus A350-900, and that as a four-star international airline under Skytrax standards, it pledges to optimise passengers’ experience of both ground and air services.
In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, Australia was the 12th biggest aviation market of Vietnam with nearly 900,000 passengers, over 400,000 of whom were served by Vietnam Airlines.
Last year, though some regional and international markets did not fully recover yet, Australia ranked eighth among the sources of international air passengers of Vietnam.
This country is now at the fourth place among the most important markets of Vietnam Airlines, the firm said, noting that it is planning to increase flight frequency and open new routes between the two countries./.