Hanoi (VNA) - ꦫVietnam Airlines signed a memorandum of strategic cooperation on December 24 in Hanoi with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on tourism promotion in the 2020-2022 period. Accordingly, the national flag carrier will provide convenient travel opportunities to Vietnamese and international visitors, in particular connecting Vietnam to the world through destinations where Vietnam Airlines conducts direct flights.

Sharing with Vietnamplus about the cooperation, Le Hong Ha, Executive Vice President of Vietnam Airlines says, promoting Vietnamese distinctive cultural values and providing optimal amenities and services for passengers, especially tourists to introduce Vietnam as a tourist destination will be of the both parties’ focus in 2020-2022 period.

-          Could you please tell us how many foreign passengers did Vietnam Airlines serve in 2019?

Mr. Le Hong Ha🍃: Vietnam Airlines Group consists of the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, budget carrier Jestar Pacific, and Vasco. Together they carried over 28 million passengers in 2019, of which over 15 million are foreigners.

-          Under the memorandum of strategic cooperation between Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and Vietnam Airlines on tourism promotion in the 2020-2022 period, which products, services and markets are prioritised?

Mr. Le Hong Ha🔜: Under the strategic cooperation, we look to promote the image of the country on mass media, release publications on Vietnamese tourism, organise field trips to survey new destinations and host programmes introducing Vietnamese tourism and culture abroad. The works will be carefully carried out in 2020.

We will definitely exploit potentials from markets with which Vietnam Airlines has direct flightswith a focus on Northeast Asia market, including Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan and China, together with nearby markets which could bring a large volume of passengers to Vietnam Airlines and also tourism sector. We also aim at European market, where a network of our direct flights is already in place, including Paris (France), Frankfurt (Germany), London (UK), Moscow (Russia). For Australia, we have 18 flights a week connecting Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam and Sydney and Melbourne of Australia. Besides, ASEAN market is also another priority as Vietnam is part of the bloc. ASEAN member countries have signed an agreement on aviation of which Vietnam Airlines could take advantage and expand.

- In 2020, does Vietnam Airlines has any plan for improving quality and applying advanced technology for the sake of tourists to Vietnam?

Mr. Le Hong Haও:We have been carrying out a project for quality improvement with a focus on fleet mordenisation. Indeed, Vietnam Airlines in 2015 was the first flag carrier ever operating the most modern aircrafts Boeing 787-9 and A350-900 at once.

The models are operated in flight routes to and from Northeast Asian and European countries in an attempt to offer tourists a good initial experience when visiting Vietnam. In the past four consecutive year, Vietnam achievedthe accolade of 4-star airline by prestigious international air transport rating organisation Skytrax, meeting ever-rising demand of passengers, with a majority being tourists. We fully understand that as a national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines is tourists’ first experience of their journey to Vietnam. Therefore, we integrate various cultural traits in each flight. For example, we have our culinary ambassador Chef Luke Nguyen, who delivers Vietnamese signature dishes, especially Pho, in Vietnam Airlines flights. We aim at the recognition of 5-star airline by Skytrax after 2020. Given the ongoing fourth industrial revolution, we strive for providing passengers with more advanced technologies for better their experiences from booking to leaving the aircrafts. -          Thank you!