Vietnam Airlines To Offer Direct Flights Between Hanoi and Phnom Penh In October 2024
Direct air routes being offered by Vietnam Airlines between Hanoi and Phnom Penh starting in October 2024 are meant to spark optimism, but direct flights already exist between the two cities, and is Vietnam seen as one of the key target growth markets for tourism?
The flights between the Cambodian capital and Hanoi will launch on October 27, 2024, and be offered four times weekly on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday utilising an Airbus A321 aircraft.
The latest agreement increases the total weekly flights between Vietnam and Cambodia to 86. Currently, travellers using the Vietnamese airline to fly between the two Southeast Asian cities need to transit in Vientiane, Laos, however, Cambodia Angkor Air already operates direct flights between the two destinations.
Dang Ngoc Hoa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Airlines, said: “The new nonstop service is poised to deliver better connectivity between Vietnam and Cambodia. As the flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines is committed to providing the safe and efficient operation of Cambodian service. We will continue to expand our network, enhance cooperation, and improve competitiveness and service quality to meet passenger expectations. Our goal is to support mutual economic, social, and cultural development, as well as foster cooperative relations between our two nations.”
The 2023 data for tourism showed that the number of Vietnamese tourists visiting Cambodia was in excess of one million, and only behind Thailand as as the biggest source of visitors according to Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism data. Around 450,000 people travel by air between both countries annually suggested the press release accompanying the new air route announcement.
For Vietnam however, in the first half of 2024, Cambodia was Vietnam's fastest-growing market for visitors, and ranked among the top ten largest sources of visitors for Vietnam’s inbound tourism market. In 2023, Cambodian tourists to Vietnam exceeded 400,000, ranking eighth among international markets but many would travel via the land borders.
Promoting Tourism In SEA
In July 2024, Cambodia and Vietnam also inked a pact which was presided over by Sok Soken, Cambodian Minister of Tourism and To Lam, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam at a ceremony held at the Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to launch a joint tourism promotion programme.
Confusingly, the programme is called the "Two Nations - One Destination" program, which is the same name as a Cambodia-Malaysia tourism partnership agreed upon in 2023. With Vietnam, the aim is “to enhance bilateral tourism promotion, support joint marketing efforts, and collaborate on aviation products and services.”
Signatories to the MoU which plans to make Cambodia part of a three-destination package with Vietnam and Laos, included airline operators Cambodia Angkor Air and Vietnam Airlines JSC, as well as the Cambodian Tourism Association (CATA) and the Saigon Tourist Group.
Chhay Sivlin, President of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA) told media that “Establishing direct flights between Hanoi and Phnom Penh could significantly boost tourism between the two destinations and provide substantial benefits for Cambodia’s tourism industry.”
This seems unlikely due to the demand and that flights already exist. The country is trying to combat the growing concerns over slow tourism numbers which simply continue to lag in Cambodia compared to pre-pandemic data.
Of all the new flight routes announced in Cambodia since the pandemic, very few are reaching new destinations from Cambodia, with Delhi in India the one exception that comes to mind to date. A new airport was launched in Siem Reap in 2023m and the new Phnom Penh Techo International Airport is due to be operational in 2025 - both are intended to boost tourism by accommodating larger long-haul aircraft and thus direct flights to new destinations.