Flights to Russia resume after 3-year hiatus, tourism welcomes 'wave' of Russian tourists

Vietnam Airlines resumes flights to Russia - Photo: VNA

With the resumption of flights to Russia, tourism is expected to welcome many Russian visitors to Vietnam and vice versa.

Flight frequency to Russia will increase

The first flight, flight number VN63, departed from Noi Bai International Airport at 9:45 a.m. on May 8 and landed safely at Sheremetyevo International Airport (Moscow) at 3:40 p.m. local time. The flight had a 100% occupancy rate, with 254 passengers.

Currently, Vietnam Airlines operates the Hanoi - Moscow route with a frequency of two flights per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, using the wide-body Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The journey takes nearly 9 hours.

A representative of Vietnam Airlines said that from July 2026, the airline plans to increase the frequency to three flights per week to meet the growing travel demand between the two countries.

Besides Vietnam Airlines, passengers can also choose international airlines with connecting points such as Qatar Airways (transit in Doha), China Eastern Airlines (transit in Shanghai) or Air China (transit in Beijing). Ticket prices from these airlines range from 8-15 million VND for a round-trip ticket depending on the time.

For the journey from Ho Chi Minh City, because there is no direct flight to Moscow, passengers need to transit in Hanoi or through other transfer points.

Vietnam - Russia tourism will flourish, visa policy is open

According to travel companies, Russia has long been a key tourism market for Vietnam. According to the General Department of Tourism, in 2024, Vietnam will welcome more than 232,000 Russian visitors, an increase of nearly 85% compared to the previous year.

In the first two months of 2025 alone, the number of Russian visitors to Vietnam reached nearly 80,000, more than three times higher than the same period last year.

Meanwhile with For Vietnamese tourists, Moscow is always an attractive destination. The Vietnamese government is applying a 45-day visa exemption policy for Russian citizens.

In the opposite direction, Vietnamese people can apply for a Russian e-visa in just 4 working days, facilitating two-way travel.

Tourism businesses are increasingly attracting Russian tourists to Vietnam. In March, Khanh Hoa tourism recorded a positive signal when flight number ZF2577 of Airlines Azur Air from Irkutsk (Russia) landed at Cam Ranh International Airport, bringing 231 Russian tourists to vacation in the coastal city of Nha Trang.

This is the first charter flight since March 2022 bringing Russian tourists back to the locality, after a long suspension due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Currently, charter flights from Russia to Nha Trang are quite active.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/noi-lai-duong-bay-den-nga-sau-3-nam-gian-doan-du-lich-don-song-khach-nga-3357174.html