In December 2017, India was added to the list of nationalities that could apply for a Vietnamese visa online. There remained, however, no direct flights between the two countries.
According to VnExpress, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has approved VietJet's request to establish a direct flight between New Delhi and Hanoi, although no date has been set for when the flights will begin.
The company's expansion to New Delhi is an attempt to support the growing number of Vietnamese tourists heading overseas. According to a Mastercard study, Vietnam's outbound tourism market is growing second-fastest in the Asia-Pacific region, with expected growth of 9.5% between 2016 and 2021. It is predicted that 7.5 million Vietnamese tourists will travel abroad in 2021.
Meanwhile, Vietnam welcomed 12.5 million international visitors in 2018, up 14.4% from 2017, according to the International Air Transport Association’s General Statistics Office.
While the number of Indian tourists in Vietnam reached just 130,000 in 2018, that was a year-on-year growth of 30%, Viet Nam News reports. This growth is forecast to continue, as Indian budget airline Indigo recently announced a direct flight between Kolkata and Hanoi from October 3, quickly followed by a direct flight between Kolkata and Saigon. Indigo Airlines says preparations for these flights are nearing the final stages.
VietJet also plans to connect Saigon with New Delhi via a direct connection, though it is unclear when this will happen.
VietJet noted that India is “famous for its diversified culture, religions, cuisine and tourism. Also, the country is well-known for its marvelous nature and grand architecture that are certified as world heritage,” and expects these draws to lure more Vietnamese tourists.
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