Vietravel Airlines is to launch a route between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Phu Quoc on Aug. 1, as well as services between Taichung and other Vietnamese destinations later in the month.
Taiwanese made more than 850,000 visits to Vietnam last year, already surpassing the number in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the No. 1 destination in Southeast Asia for Taiwanese travelers, Tourism Administration data showed.
Phu Quoc, an island in southern Vietnam off the Cambodian coast, has been increasing in popularity as a travel destination.
Photo: CNA
Airlines have been opening routes to serve this new demand, with Starlux Airlines to launch a route from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on July 1.
Vietravel Airlines new routes would initially operate on a charter basis with three flights per week departing in the afternoon.
Mark Chen (陳錦暢), Taiwan representative for the airline and general manager of See Mark Travel, said that flights between Taiwan and Vietnam reach about 80 percent capacity on average.
Flights to Phu Quoc are usually 80 to 90 percent booked, showing strong demand, he said.
Vietnam is also expanding its transportation infrastructure and aims to have 30 airports nationwide by 2030, he added.
The airline in August is also to launch routes from Taichung to Da Nang and Hue, offering two flights and one flight per week respectively, Chen said, adding that it is also planning routes between Taoyuan and Hue, Kaohsiung and Phu Quoc, Kaohsiung and Hue, and Taichung and Phu Quoc by the end of the year.
The first quarter of next year could see new services between Taoyuan and Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, he added.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's