New flight route brings international visitors to Halong bay

Last year, while many international tourist markets grew, Thai visitors to Vietnam unexpectedly decreased by 15% compared to 2023. The new Bangkok - Hai Phong route from July 2025 is expected to attract Thai visitors with the appeal of the heritage bay of Halong - Cat Ba archipelago.

Thailand has always been an important market for Vietnam's tourism industry, ranking 8th in terms of arrivals in 2019 with 509.8 thousand arrivals. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the Thai market recovered quickly, reaching 489.1 thousand arrivals in 2023, ranking 6th in terms of international arrivals to Vietnam. In 2024, while many markets grew strongly, Thai visitors to Vietnam only reached 418 thousand arrivals, down more than 15% compared to 2023.

"The number of Thai tourists to Vietnam is suffering from negative signs from tourism attraction policies from other countries. In 2024, the number of visitors decreased significantly, falling in the ranking of Vietnam's top tourist sources. Therefore, Vietnam needs to increase activities to stimulate this important source market to ensure recovery in the coming time," said Mr Thuy - Director of Travel Indochina.

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

This route helps directly connect a major economic and tourism center of Vietnam with the capital of Thailand, promoting trade, culture and tourism between the two regions. From Bangkok, international tourists can easily access Halong Bay - the top famous destination in Vietnam. In the opposite direction, with AirAsia's large flight network, Vietnamese tourists can also connect to many destinations across Thailand such as Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Rai...

Thuy commented that the Cat Bi route creates more favorable conditions for Thai tourists and international tourists in general from Bangkok to Cat Ba, Ha Long. Instead of having to transfer at Noi Bai airport, the direct flight to Cat Bi airport with a good time frame, creates convenience for the travel itinerary in Ha Long, Cat Ba. Tourists have more time to visit natural heritage sites and stay, explore this area more.

"Cat Ba is a new and attractive destination for international visitors, recently invested heavily in infrastructure such as cable cars, shows, new accommodation areas, luxury cruises on the bay... and many other beautiful landscapes are the strengths of this tourist route. We are researching the construction of tourism products associated with heritage, connecting tourism products in the Hai Phong, Cat Ba and Ha Long areas. Extending the length of stay of international visitors, expanding new sightseeing and experience spots, attracting many types of tourism in this area", said Thuy.

Promote two-way customer exchange
Before the direct flight from Hai Phong to Bangkok, tourists joining Thailand tours from Quang Ninh and Hai Phong often had to spend time traveling to other airports, which was costly, time-consuming and laborious. The new flight will solve these problems, providing a better and more convenient travel experience.

BKT Tourist Thailand Company said that the Cat Bi - Bangkok direct flight brings significant benefits to the tourism industry: "Previously, passengers from Hai Phong, Quang Ninh... who wanted to go to Bangkok often had to travel to Noi Bai airport. The new flight route helps save a lot of 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, Quang Ninh to an attractive tourist destination like Bangkok.

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

BKT believes that the number of tourists from Thailand to the Northeast region of Vietnam and vice versa will rapidly increase, due to the convenience and reasonable price that the direct flight brings: "Thailand is still 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 increase this attractiveness. 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. It is expected that BKT Bangkok Tourist will welcome an average of more than 1,000 visitors to Bangkok from Cat Bi Airport - Hai Phong each month".

Top the list of destinations in Vietnam, Halong charter cruises offer activities like visiting floating fishing villages, cooking classes, or see the sunset over the bay.