Aeroflot plans to resume direct flights to Vietnam, a country that has long attracted the attention of Russian tourists as an alternative to popular Thailand. Starting January 31, this Russian carrier will begin regular flights to Ho Chi Minh City, one of Vietnam's largest cities, according to the company's press service.
It is planned that flights to Ho Chi Minh City will be operated twice a week from Moscow - on Wednesdays and Sundays, and back from Ho Chi Minh City - on Mondays and Thursdays, writes the portal "Greater Asia". Tourists are also reminded to choose beach destinations from Ho Chi Minh City, including Long Hai, Phantiet, Mui Ne or Phu Quoc Island. These beaches in Vietnam were consistently ranked in the top 5 popular winter destinations in "pre-winter" times, and now they appear attractive for the current season as well. It is predicted that direct flights from Moscow will increase the popularity of Vietnam in the winter season of 2023-2024. In the absence of such flights, Vietnam may even lose its position in the top 10 popular winter destinations.
However, it should be taken into account that Ho Chi Minh City is not a resort destination and an additional domestic flight is required to visit the beaches. Currently, tourists who want to visit the resorts have to use connecting flights. For example, tour operator FUN&SUN started selling tours from Moscow to the popular resort of Nha Trang, the program of which is carried out through connecting flights of SCAT Airlines with a connection in Almaty.
It should be reminded that a record number of Russians visited the Maldives this year.