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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Vietravel Airlines to launch flights to Phu Quoc on Aug. 1
People play on the beach on Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island on May 25. Photo: CNA
By Tsai Yun-jung and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Vietravel Airlines is to launch a route between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Phu Quoc on Aug. 1, as well as services between Taichung and other Vietnamese destinations later in the month.
Taiwanese made more than 850,000 visits to Vietnam last year, already surpassing the number in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the No. 1 destination in Southeast Asia for Taiwanese travelers, Tourism Administration data showed.
Phu Quoc, an island in southern Vietnam off the Cambodian coast, has been increasing in popularity as a travel destination.
Airlines have been opening routes to serve this new demand, with Starlux Airlines to launch a route from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on July 1.
Vietravel Airlines new routes would initially operate on a charter basis with three flights per week departing in the afternoon.
Mark Chen （陳錦暢）, Taiwan representative for the airline and general manager of See Mark Travel, said that flights between Taiwan and Vietnam reach about 80 percent capacity on average.
Flights to Phu Quoc are usually 80 to 90 percent booked, showing strong demand, he said.
Vietnam is also expanding its transportation infrastructure and aims to have 30 airports nationwide by 2030, he added.
The airline in August is also to launch routes from Taichung to Da Nang and Hue, offering two flights and one flight per week respectively, Chen said, adding that it is also planning routes between Taoyuan and Hue, Kaohsiung and Phu Quoc, Kaohsiung and Hue, and Taichung and Phu Quoc by the end of the year.
The first quarter of next year could see new services between Taoyuan and Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, he added.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
