Vietnam Airlines, Cambodia’s Tourism Ministry ink cooperation deal

The signing ceremony took place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on February 26 under the witness of Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, who paid a State visit to Cambodia on February 25-26.

As one of airlines that carries the highest volumes of passengers to Cambodia, Vietnam Airlines said it would make an important contribution to the development of the tourism in "Southeast Asia’s golden land" through this cooperation agreement.

According to the agreement, the airline will promote Cambodian tourism through fairs in collaboration with Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism to build common tourism products and organise workshops.

Vietnam Airlines will consider opening new routes connecting Ha Long Bay and Da Nang to Cambodia’s destinations including Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.

The carrier will also support the provision of free tickets for Cambodian officials and experts attending workshops and training programmes for resource development; create employment opportunities at the airline for outstanding students in the tourism industry; implement marketing programmes; and introduce products to key markets to improve the quality of travel and accommodation services in Cambodia.

CEO of Vietnam Airlines Duong Tri Thanh said the cooperation between Vietnam Airlines and Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism meant consolidating and expanding the fundamental relationship between the two countries.

“Vietnam Airlines is delighted to be the ‘air messenger’ along with Cambodia in the fields of aviation tourism and trade promotion, contributing to boosting the Cambodian economy,” Thanh said.

In 2018, the two-way passenger volume of Vietnam and Cambodia on Vietnam Airlines was more than 700,000 seats.

Vietnam Airlines has operated the route connecting Vietnam with Cambodia for more than 40 years. The carrier is currently operating two routes across Indochina and three direct routes to Cambodia including Hanoi-Siem Reap, HCM City-Siem Reap and HCM City-Phnom Penh with a total frequency of 56 flights per week.

In addition, Cambodia Angkor Air also operates routes from Da Nang to Siem Reap, and between Ho Chi Minh City and Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, with a total frequency of 56 flights per week.

It is expected that from April 2019, Vietnam Airlines will run four flights per week on the Da Nang -Siem Reap route.