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| Vietravel Airlines on December 16 launches its first international route connecting Hanoi and Bangkok. (Photo: Vietravel Airlines) |
According to VNA, Vu Duc Bien, general director of the carrier said that with the flights, the carrier offers more choices for passengers who have a demand to travel between Vietnam and Thailand with diversified service packages.
At this time of the year, the new route is expected to meet the demand of Vietnamese people living in Thailand who want to return home for the Lunar New Year celebration.
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| Vietravel Airline is invested by the largest travel group in Vietnam and Asia - Vietravel Corporation. (Photo: Vietravel Airines) |
The Ambassador of Thailand to Vietnam, Nikorndej Balankura, said that Vietravel Airlines' launch of the route is good news for both Vietnamese and Thai people as they now have more choices in travelling at reasonable costs.
He hoped that the carrier will have more flights that connect major tourism cities of Vietnam and Thailand, which help boost the two countries’ cultural exchanges and tourism.
From the beginning of this year until now, Vietnam is in the top five largest sources of tourists in Thailand with nearly 373,000 visitors, and the Thai market is also among the three most popular destinations for Vietnamese tourists.
Currently, Vietravel Airlines is working with the aviation authorities of Vietnam and Thailand on the launch of flights that connect Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok, possibly in January 2023.
Noi Bai airport expects 80,000 passengers on peak day during Lunar New Year season
The Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi is expected to serve 450 flights and up to 80,000 passengers on the peak day during the travel season for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday (Tet) – Vietnam’s biggest and longest traditional festival, reported VNA.
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| Illustrative photo (Source: VNA) |
However, the figure is yet to match the highest daily passenger number during the summer of 2022. June 25 saw over 104,000 passengers, nearly 93,000 of whom were domestic travellers, going through the airport.
Leaders of the airport said a host of international airlines plan to resume flights this winter, with good growth projected for the number of international flights to and from Noi Bai during Tet.
It is estimated that there will be 220 international flights carrying some 22,000 passengers landing in and taking off from the airport per day during the peak period. The figures are equal to approximately 70% of those recorded in the same period in 2019 before the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Noi Bai has already prepared plans to meet the upcoming high demand, under which more check-in counters and security facility will be opened and operated in full capacity, IT advances applied to calculate peak hours of each area, and coordination with transport police enhanced to regulate transport around the airport, among other activities.
According to a recent dispatch, officials, civil servants, public employees and workers of State administrative and socio-political organisations will have seven days off from January 20 (Friday) to January 26 (Thursday) for Tet celebrations. Travelling is expected to surge from several days just before Tet.
Three Vietnamese hotels named among best in Asia
Three Vietnamese hotels have been listed among the top 30 Best Hotel in Asia, as compiled by Luxury Travel Magazine, one of the world's leading luxury travel websites, reported VOV.
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| Regent Phu Quoc stands at 23rd place in the list of top 30 Best Hotel in Asia |
The locations include Alma Resort in Cam Ranh City, Azerai La Residence Hue in Thua Thien-Hue province, and Regent Phu Quoc on Phu Quoc island.
Of these venues, Alma Resort ranked third in the list, while Azerai La Residence Hue and Regent Phu Quoc stood at 12th and 23rd places, respectively.
The selection has been held as part of LLM Readers’ Travel Awards, which was voted on by 31,000 tourists from all over the world. The awards recognise and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the luxury travel and tourism industry.
The three Vietnamese hotels earlier also received international awards and honour by foreign newspapers.
Alma Resort was listed among eight of the country’s hottest new hotels to "lay your head at a range of prices and styles", as reported by news channel CNN of the United States.
Meanwhile, tourism magazine Condé Nast Traveler (CNTraveler) of the US named Azerai La Residence Hue among the top 10 hotels in Southeast Asia for 2022.
Moreover, AFAR magazine, a print and digital publication focused on experiential travel, listed V Regent Phu Quoc among the top seven exciting new retreats throughout Asia.
Vietnam’s trade value hits US$700 billion for first time
For the first time in history Vietnam’s 2022 import-export value has surpassed the US$700 billion mark, up 15% year on year.
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| Vietnam’s trade value has hit US$700 billion for the first time this year. (Illustrative image) |
By noon December 15, Vietnam’s import-export value reached more than US$700 billion, VOV quoted the announcement by the General Department of Vietnam Customs.
Experts attributed the good result to Vietnam’s efforts in joining and implementing many new generation free trade agreements over the past five years. The country has continuously made strong strides in the import and export of goods in terms of scale and growth in recent years.
In 2007, after Vietnam officially joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), its total import-export value hit US$100 billion. Four years later, this figure doubled, reaching US$200 billion.
The country’s foreign trade exceeded US$400 billion in 2017 and US$600 billion last year.
“Over the past five years, Vietnam’s import and export turnover has increased by 1.5 times, and the tax collected from import and export activities has increased by 1.4 times. Notably, the tax collected in 2022 has increased by more than 10% compared to 2021. This revenue has greatly contributed to the economy’s big balances and support business activities”, said Mai Xuan Thanh, deputy general director of the General Department of Vietnam Customs.
In 2022, Vietnam was ranked 23rd by the World Trade Organization in terms of goods exports and 20th in terms of imports. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam's import-export value came in second, only after Singapore. With the 2022 trade value at a record high, the country’s ranking is projected to be higher on a global scale.
The enforcement of a range of free trade agreements over the years has created a favourable environment for businesses to promote import and export activities. The export turnover higher than the import turnover has also helped Vietnam produce a trade surplus of more than US$9.2 billion, 2.3 times higher than the whole of last year.
The high trade growth shows Vietnam has stabilized its macroeconomy, maintained business production and promoted investment attraction, creating the prerequisite for the economy to sustain its growth momentum next year./.