Vietnam Airlines to fly direct to Indonesia

 

 

Vietnam Airlines will launch a direct service between HCMC and Indonesian capital Jakarta on December 2, offering four weekly flights. The nation’s flag carrier is offering preferential pricing policy to a number of special travel agents in Indonesia.

At the moment, to fly direct to Indonesia, passengers can only choose flights of the low-cost carrier AirAsia. They have to transit in Singapore on Vietnam Airlines’ services for a lengthy journey which only takes two hours on direct flights.

Vietnam Airlines earlier informed in Vietnam Heritage magazine that the direct flights would open this month. However, sources from local tourism companies said the launch was now set for every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from December 2.

Tran Xuan Hung, director of Viking Travel & Media said his partners in Indonesia had purchased air tickets for the new route to take visitors to Vietnam.

AirAsia also operates four flights a week between HCMC and Indonesia but the flights are often full, making it difficult for local clients to buy tickets.

The local tourism industry will enjoy huge opportunities to develop the Indonesian market thanks to Vietnam Airlines’ direct air connection with the nation, Hung said.

“This is really good information as we now are focusing on tapping the Indonesian market, with the stable arrivals of Indonesian tourists to Vietnam weekly,” Hung noted.

Indonesian travelers tend to choose four-to-five-day tours to HCMC and My Tho or to Hanoi and then call at Halong Bay, Hung said. He noticed many local tour operators have yet to enter the potential visitor-generating market at present.

Source: SGT

 

Solar electric car tours in Hanoi

Visitors to Hanoi will soon have two more options for city routes run by solar electric cars, set to be put into operation in December.

 

Electric car tours operate in Hanoi

The tours, launched by Dong Xuan Joint Stock Company, will take tourists to visit a number of famous sites in the city, including Hoa Lo Prison, the Opera House and Quan Su Pagoda.

According to the company, while their old fleet of electric cars are now running in the old quarter, these two new routes will expand to larger streets including Ly Thuong Kiet, Hai Ba Trung, Nguyen Du, which they say will give visitors a chance to see more sites and the city's colonial architecture.

The two new routes will operate every day from 7am till 11pm, beginning December for VND20,000 per person.

Since July 2010, 20 electric cars that could fit seven passengers have been in operation. One route goes up the trade streets and to Dong Xuan Market and the other one tours famous sites for food and shopping, as well as sites like Ngoc Son Temple, Kim Ngan communal house and the Temple of the Le Kings.

September last year, some 20 more electric cars were added to the city's guided tour options by the State-owned Tay Ho company, giving tours around West Lake and a number of other pagodas, parks and temples.

Phu Quoc international airport in use this December

 

The southern province of Kien Giang has said Phu Quoc international airport will be put into operation in December this year. Construction of the airport began in Duong To commune, Phu Quoc district in November 2008.
The air terminal is being built on an area of more than 900ha at a total cost of VND16.2 trillion. The project includes a runway, a passenger terminal, and a VHF omnidirectional range station (VOR).
The runway, which is 3,000m long and 45m wide, will enable the airport to accommodate Boeing 777s, Boeing 747-400s and other similar aircraft.
Contractors are putting the finishing touch to the runway and passenger terminal to ensure that they will be inaugurated on schedule.
The airport will serve passengers to capital Hanoi, northern provinces, and countries in the region and the world, in order to take advantage of local economic potential, especially ecological and marine tourism, as well as investment and trade.
 
Source: VOV