Vietjet will launch a new international route connecting Phu Quoc Island in southern Kien Giang Province with Seoul later this month, the airline announced on Friday.

Vietjet made the announcement during the South Korea–Viet Nam Business and Investment Forum held in Seoul as part of an official visit by Vietnamese National Assembly Chairperson Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan to South Korea.

Ngan and speaker of South Korea’s National Assembly Moon Hee Sang participated in the conference along with several high-ranking South Korean and Vietnamese dignitaries.

Vietjet was the first airline to offer flights to Phu Quoc International Airport in 2012. One year later, the airline launched the first flight linking South Korea and Viet Nam, its chairwoman Nguyen Thanh Ha said.

“Since then, Vietjet has gained the trust and love of locals, the business community and tourists travelling between the two countries while also actively contributing to the promotion of trade and tourism between the two countries and across the region,” Ha said.

She added the airline has carried more than two million passengers between South Korea and Viet Nam, including many first-time flyers.

“We will continue to offer flying opportunities to locals and tourists with routes connecting destinations in the two countries,” she said.

The Phu Quoc – Seoul route will operate daily return flights starting on December 22. With a flight time of around five and a half hours per leg, a flight will depart from Phu Quoc at 3:30pm and arrive in Seoul at 10:45pm local time. The return flight will take off from Seoul at 1:45am local time and land in Phu Quoc at 5:35am.

Tickets for the route are now on sale at www.vietjetair.com.

Dubbed “the Pearl Island”, Phu Quoc covers an area of about 570 square kilometres, making it the largest island in Viet Nam. As a well-known tourist spot, Phu Quoc has attracted strong levels of investment in hotels and resorts in recent years.

According to the management of the Phu Quoc Economic Zone, the district has 279 potential projects, 215 of which are in tourism, 23 are in housing and eight each in agriculture, public services and forestry.

Total investment in the projects is worth VND361 trillion (US$15.4 billion). More than 240 projects involving total investment of VND14.75 trillion ($633.37 million) have received approval with 36 already under way.

Since 2015, the island has received 4.7 million visitors, 20.5 per cent of whom were foreigners. The average revenues from tourism have increased by 42.5 per cent. — VNS