New flight route brings international visitors to the heritage bay area.

VOV.VN - In 2024, while many international tourist markets experienced growth, the number of Thai tourists visiting Vietnam unexpectedly decreased by 15% compared to 2023. The new Bangkok - Hai Phong flight route, starting in July 2025, is expected to attract Thai tourists with the allure of the heritage bay of Ha Long Bay and the Cat Ba archipelago.

Restoring the decline in international tourist numbers.

Thailand has always been an important market for Vietnam's tourism industry, ranking 8th in terms of visitor numbers in 2019 with 509,800 visitors. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the Thai market recovered quickly, reaching 489,100 visitors in 2023, ranking 6th in terms of international visitors to Vietnam. In 2024, while many markets experienced strong growth, the number of Thai visitors to Vietnam only reached 418,000, a decrease of more than 15% compared to 2023.

"The number of Thai tourists visiting Vietnam is showing negative signs due to tourism promotion policies from other countries. In 2024, the number of visitors decreased significantly, falling in rank among Vietnam's top tourist sources. Therefore, Vietnam needs to strengthen activities to stimulate demand from this important source market to ensure recovery in the coming period," said Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy – Director of Visit Indochina.

Thai tourists visit Ha Long Bay. Photo: Son Thuy

A positive sign for Vietnam-Thailand tourism cooperation is that AirAsia has started operating a new Bangkok-Hai Phong route from July 16, 2025, with a frequency of 4 flights per week. This will make AirAsia the airline with the most routes from Vietnam to Thailand, including flights from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi , Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, and Hai Phong to Bangkok (Don Mueang Airport) and Hanoi to Chiang Mai.

This route directly connects a major economic and tourism hub of Vietnam with the capital of Thailand, promoting trade, culture, and tourism between the two regions. From Bangkok, international tourists can easily access Ha Long Bay – one of Vietnam's top tourist destinations. Conversely, with AirAsia's extensive flight network, Vietnamese tourists can also connect to many destinations throughout Thailand such as Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Rai, etc.

AirAsia will begin operating direct flights between Bangkok and Hai Phong from July 16, 2025. Source: Air Asia

Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy commented that the Cat Bi flight route creates more favorable conditions for Thai tourists and international tourists in general traveling from Bangkok to Cat Ba and Ha Long. Instead of having to transit at Noi Bai Airport, the direct flight to Cat Bi Airport with convenient times facilitates travel to Ha Long and Cat Ba. Tourists have more time to visit natural heritage sites and stay longer to explore the area.

"Cat Ba is a new and attractive destination for international tourists, recently receiving significant infrastructure investment such as cable cars, shows, new accommodations, luxury cruises on the bay... and many other beautiful sights, which are strengths of this tourism route. We are researching the development of tourism products linked to heritage, connecting tourism products in the Hai Phong, Cat Ba, and Ha Long areas. This will extend the length of stay for international tourists, expand new sightseeing and experiential destinations, and attract more types of tourism to this area," said Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy.

Thai tourists are an important market for Vietnamese tourism. Photo: Son Thuy

Promoting two-way tourist exchange.

Before the direct flight route between Hai Phong and Bangkok, tourists on Thailand tours from Quang Ninh and Hai Phong often had to travel to other airports, incurring costs and wasting time and effort. The new route will solve these problems, providing a better and more convenient travel experience.

Mr. Nguyen Dong Giang, General Director of BKT Tourist Thailand, stated that the direct Cat Bi - Bangkok flight route brings significant benefits to the tourism industry: "Previously, passengers from Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, etc., who wanted to go to Bangkok often had to travel to Noi Bai Airport. The new flight route significantly saves travel time, making the journey faster and more convenient. This is a favorable condition for both independent travelers and travel companies in organizing package tours from Hai Phong and Quang Ninh to an attractive tourist destination like Bangkok."

Thailand is an attractive destination for Vietnamese tourists. Photo: Dong Giang

According to BKT Bangkok Tourist, tourists from Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, and neighboring provinces would find basic Thailand tours (visiting famous tourist attractions such as temples, palaces, shopping, exploring street food in Bangkok...) and tours combining Bangkok with nearby destinations such as Pattaya, Huahin, Khauyai, Nakhon Nayok, Kanchanaburi, Ayutthaya... suitable.

Mr. Nguyen Dong Giang believes that the number of tourists from Thailand to the Northeast region of Vietnam and vice versa will grow rapidly due to the convenience and reasonable cost offered by the direct flight: "Thailand remains an attractive destination for Vietnamese tourists thanks to its unique culture, rich cuisine, reasonable costs, and good tourism services. The new flight route will further enhance this appeal. In addition, the new flight route will create opportunities for many travel companies to exploit this market, leading to competition in price and service quality. BKT Bangkok Tourist expects to welcome an average of over 1,000 tourists to Bangkok from Cat Bi Airport - Hai Phong each month."

Source: https://vov.vn/du-lich/duong-bay-moi-dua-khach-quoc-te-den-vung-vinh-di-san-post1161646.vov