Flight VN 593 of Vietnam Airlines from Hong Kong (China) landed at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi on December 11 afternoon, marking the first commercial flight between the two destinations after nearly three years of hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The national flag carrier of Vietnam will re-operate the route with a frequency of three return flights per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Sundays.

“Vietnam Airlines is the first Vietnamese carrier to resume regular commercial flights with Hong Kong. The airline will consider increasing the frequency of flights between the two destinations when Hong Kong's pandemic prevention and control policies are loosened further,” Ngo Tri Hung, chief of the airline's branch in Hong Kong, told Vietnam News Agency.

A crew of the national flag carrier is traveling. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

“Vietnam is currently the eighth largest trade partner of Hong Kong while Hong Kong is the fifth largest investor in the country,” Hung added.

Hoang Thi Giang, a Vietnamese resident of Hong Kong, believes the resumption of the Hanoi-Hong Kong route will facilitate business activities and travel between the two cities. "After reopening this route, I believe the number of passengers will gradually increase," Giang said.

Meanwhile, Ken Lau, a Hong Kong resident, told Vietnam News Agency that he used to travel between Hong Kong and Hanoi on business. Before the Covid-19 outbreak, he used to fly on Vietnam Airlines because the carrier gave him a sense of peace thanks to its professional service style.

“The route resumption will make it more convenient for Hong Kong people working in Vietnam and Vietnamese in Hong Kong, especially during the coming Lunar New Year,” Ken Lau stressed.

Before the pandemic, travel between Hanoi and Hong Kong was about 15-18 flights daily. Vietnam Airlines round-trip flights between the two destinations had been suspended from February 6, 2020, due to Hong Kong's strict Covid-19 prevention and control policy. The national flag carrier resumed the Ho Chi Minh-Hong Kong route in March this year and increased the frequency at the end of November.

The Hong Kong government has applied the entry policy according to the "0+3" formula (passengers will be isolated at their residence for three days) from September 26. Before boarding, passengers only need to show a photo of a negative rapid Covid-19 test result. After arriving in Hong Kong, they will undergo a nucleic acid test at the airport and a nucleic acid test on the first day. From December 9, the time for rapid testing for people on entry has also been shortened from seven days to five days.

Last Friday, Vietnam Airlines resumed air service to China after nearly three years.