First flight from Chiang Mai lands at Dong Hoi Airport in Quang Binh Province on August 11. It’s the first international connection between central Viet Nam and northern Thailand. — Photo courtesy Jetstar Pacific

The first flight between Chiang Mai, Thailand and Dong Hoi City in Quang Binh Province was officially launched on August 11 on the first air route connecting central Viet Nam and northern Thailand.

Budget airline Jetstar Pacific said 350 passengers took the 1:40 hour flight from Chiang Mai to Dong Hoi City and back on an Airbus A320.

Jetstar Pacific said it offers one-way tickets for VNĐ620,000 (US$27.4) on the new route. Currently, two weekly flights are scheduled - on Mondays and Fridays. The company says more than 5,000 passengers have already booked flights on the newly-launched Chiang Mai-Dong Hoi.

According to the provincial tourism department, the new air route will help Thai tourists travel to destinations in central and northern Viet Nam, such as Hoi An, Ninh Binh, Ha Long, Ha Noi and Sa Pa, while Vietnamese visitors will be able to take advantage of it to tour famous sites, including Doi Suthep, Wat Chedi Luan, Wat Phra Sigh, Wat Ung in Chiang Mai.

Quang Binh Province, known for beautiful beaches, the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and limestone caves, hosted two million tourists, 50,000 of them foreigners, in the first half of this year.

In July, a film team from Thailand filmed the caves in Quang Binh Province to introduce the landscape to Thai tourists.

Jetstar Pacific operates more than 100 weekly international flights to Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Guangzhou, and more than 500 weekly domestic flights to most famous tourist destinations in Viet Nam. — VNS