A Vietnam Airlines flight departing from Ho Chi Minh City to Guangzhou at 9:55 a.m. Friday marked the first regular commercial flight between Vietnam and China after nearly three years of Covid-19 hiatus.
With China loosening its Covid-19 prevention policy, from Friday, Vietnam Airlines reopened a number of routes between Vietnam and its neighbor to serve travel demand.
In the first phase, Vietnam Airlines will resume three routes to China including the HCMC-Guangzhou route from December 9, departing every Friday; the Hanoi-Shanghai route from December 12 with a frequency of two flights per week on Monday and Friday; and the HCMC-Shanghai route from December 14, departing every Wednesday.
Vietnam has abolished its Covid-19 testing requirement for people entering the country since May 15.
Currently, Vietnam Airlines has restored most of its international destinations, bringing the total number of flights on its international network to more than 600 flights per week, equivalent to 70% of the operating frequency before the pandemic.
The airline recommends that passengers entering China should actively consult the regulations officially announced by the Chinese Embassy, including the necessary documents and procedures like a PCR test 48 hours before flight time, declaring to get a health code, strictly follow the regulations on wearing N95 masks upon entry, and quarantine after entry.
The time for opening sales and departure of flights to China is from now until March 26, 2023. Passengers can buy tickets on the website, mobile application, official ticket offices and agents of Vietnam Airlines nationwide.
Previously, from January 2020, Vietnam Airlines had stopped all flights connecting to China because of Covid-19. In the pre-pandemic period, China was one of the most important international markets for Vietnam Airlines as well as other domestic airlines. In 2019, Chinese visitors to Vietnam reached 5.8 million.