Vietnam Airlines and Vinpearl will team up to open eight weekly flights between Viet Nam and Russia in 2020, a representative from the national flag carrier revealed.

The routes will connect four Russian cities – Moscow, Vladivostok, Novosibirsk, and Ekaterinburg with Nha Trang and Phu Quoc– the two most popular destinations in Viet Nam.

The first route between Moscow and Nha Trang will be put into operation on March 12 offering two flights per week.

Meanwhile, Vinpearl Travel Russia, a subsidiary of Vinpearl, the resort company under private conglomerate Vingroup, will open an office in Moscow on March 3 to promote first hi-end tourism service package to the Russian market, which covers flights, tourist and insurance services.

Vinpearl will take similar steps to conquer four strategic markets namely Australia, Japan, South Korea and China.

Potential markets such as Europe, North America and India will also be in Vinpearl’s plans.

Russia is among the top 10 markets of the Vietnamese tourism sector. The two countries have sound political ties and are connected by direct flights, while Russian demand for Vietnamese tourism products is rising.

According to the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the number of Russian tourist arrivals in Viet Nam grows by 30 per cent annually on average, with the total number of arrivals expected to reach one million by 2020.

Some 88,000 Russian holiday-makers visited Viet Nam in the first month of this year, up 16 per cent year-on-year. — VNS