Budget carrier Tigerair Taiwan will launch on April 2 a direct service between Taoyuan city and Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island, in the southern province of Kien Giang.
The carrier will initially fly three round-way trips between the two destinations on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Flight IT557 bound for Phu Quoc will take off at 2:40 p.m. from the Taoyuan International Airport, and the return flight IT558 will leave at 6:25 p.m. The flight time will be three hours and 45 minutes.
In December 2022, Danang became the Taiwanese budget carrier’s first destination in Vietnam. Tigerair Taiwan president Chen Han Ming said then that the carrier was eyeing the launch of services to Nha Trang and Phu Quoc in the first half of 2023.
In Southeast Asia, besides two Vietnamese locations, Tigerair Taiwan also offers services from Taoyuan to Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand.
Phu Quoc is well known for its pristine beaches, locally made fish sauce, pepper, and pearls. It is the only visa-free tourist area in Vietnam where foreign visitors can stay for up to 30 days.
Korean Air in December operated its inaugural flight to Phu Quoc, also known as Vietnam’s Pearl Island. The carrier serves the route daily with its Airbus A330-300 fleet.
Vietnam welcomed 851,024 Taiwanese visitors in 2023, up nearly six-fold from 2022, making Taiwan Vietnam’s third largest inbound tourist market in Asia, after South Korea and China, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.