Last week, Vietnamese carriers have opened ticket sales to several locations. Nearly 1,800 passengers from abroad came to Vietnam on 17 flights between January 1 and 3, the first three days after the resumption of regular international flights.
In a report sent to the Transport Ministry on January 4, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) said the passengers had arrived in the international airports of Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, Da Nang, and Can Tho.
Related: Vietnam plans to increases the number of flights to many countries
The flights were conducted by four Vietnamese airlines (Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways, Pacific Airlines) and seven foreign carriers (Thai Vietjet of Thailand, Singapore Airlines of Singapore, Turkish Airlines of Turkey, Starlux Airlines and China Airlines of Taiwan (China), Emirates of the UAE, and Asiana Airlines of the Republic of Korea).
According to the CAAV plan, Vietnam is set to restore regular international flights in two phases, with the first phase covering the air routes with Beijing/Guangxi (China), Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (the Republic of Korea), Taipei (Taiwan, China), Bangkok (Thailand), Singapore, Vientiane (Laos), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), and San Francisco/Los Angeles (the US).
Meanwhile, the second phase will see the reopening of routes linking with six more other foreign destinations, which are Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Hong Kong (China), Paris (France), Frankfurt (Germany), Sydney (Australia), and Moscow (Russia), according to Vietnam News Agency.
The country closed its borders and grounded international flights in March 2020, allowing in only citizens, foreign experts, investors, and highly-skilled workers coming in on special flights.