SYDNEY — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm attended a ceremony organised by Vietnam Airlines on August 10 evening (local time) to mark 35 years of air and tourism connectivity between Việt Nam and Australia.

Over 35 years of operations, Vietnam Airlines has operated 35,000 flights and carried 7.5 million passengers between Việt Nam and Australia, reflecting the steady growth of the market and rising demand for connectivity between the two countries.

The national flag carrier currently operates 25 round-trip flights a week, connecting Hà Nội and HCM City with Sydney, Melbourne and Perth using Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 wide-body aircraft. In the first six months of this year, the Việt Nam–Australia air travel market recorded more than 809,000 passengers, up over 11 per cent year on year. The routes between the two countries have maintained a high average load factor of more than 83 per cent, indicating sustained demand.

The growth of air connectivity has gone hand in hand with advances in bilateral relations. Since the two countries upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, air links have taken on an increasingly important role in promoting economic cooperation, developing tourism and strengthening people-to-people exchanges.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Phạm Hùng Tâm stressed that aviation and tourism play a particularly important role in relations between countries, serving as vital bridges that bring their people and businesses closer together. Each new route opened and every journey connected helps promote people-to-people exchanges, boost economic, trade and investment links, and introduce Việt Nam to international friends.

The ambassador noted that over the 35 years since the first flight, the air connectivity network between Việt Nam and Australia has continued to expand, accompanying the development of bilateral cooperation across a wide range of areas and better meeting the travel, business, study and tourism needs of people in both countries.

Throughout this journey, Việt Nam’s national flag carrier has made an important contribution to maintaining and expanding direct links between the two countries. The routes operated by Vietnam Airlines have not only facilitated travel for people, businesses and tourists, but also helped promote the image of a dynamic, friendly and culturally rich Việt  Nam among Australian people and visitors.

Chairman of Vietnam Airlines’s Board of Directors Đặng Ngọc Hoà said that amid deepening international integration, aviation is increasingly demonstrating its role as strategic infrastructure for the economy. Australia is therefore one of the airline’s key markets under its development strategy.

“We will continue to invest in our flight network, improve service quality and strengthen cooperation to expand connectivity between Vietnam and Australia, meeting development needs in the new period,” he said.

After 35 years, the Việt Nam–Australia air routes continue to serve as an important bridge between the two countries. As the national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines will continue expanding its network and working with partners to further promote bilateral cooperation in the years ahead, Hoà added.

On the occasion, General Secretary and President Lâm and the high-ranking delegation of Việt Nam witnessed the exchange of cooperation agreements between tourism promotion agencies and businesses of the two countries. — VNA/VNS

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