Japan-Vietnam non-stop flights by late 2009

Japan and Da Nang, in central Vietnam, will be connected by direct flights by late 2009.

The People’s Committee of Da Nang and Vietnam Airlines, the flag-carrier airline of Vietnam, have signed a memorandum of understanding to put in place a flight route connecting Osaka in Japan, Da Nang in Vietnam, and Siem Riep in Cambodia.

Vietnam Airlines said it would use a 180-seat Airbus 321 aircraft on the route. 

The direct flight from Da Nang to Japan would soon be operational, Vietnam Airlines said. 

Alternatives routes linking Da Nang with Tokyo, Fukuoka or Nagoia were considered, but they were found less profitable, Vietnam Airlines added. 

The website english.vietnamnet.vn quoted Fuji Hideo, chairman of the Japan Association of Travel Agents, as saying that “since the coastal provinces of Vietnam have always been the most popular choice among the Japanese, a direct flight route connecting Da Nang with Japan will increase both foreign investment and tourism.” 

The government of Japan has already initiated a tourism campaign, called ‘Visit the World Campaign’, in which Vietnam has been given priority. 

According to Fuji Hideo, about 16 million to 17 million Japanese people travel every year to Vietnam, and the number is expected to go up to 20 million in 2010. 

Pham Ngoc Minh, CEO of Vietnam Airlines, said that the number of Japanese tourists getting interested in visiting Vietnam was growing.