Direct flights between the two countries have helped in boosting links, particularly in business between the two countries.
Kim Pham flies from the UK to Vietnam several times a year. Transit flights sometimes meant it took up to 2 days but now with direct flights, the trip is only some 11 hours.
"It's very convenient. The direct route is time saving. This also benefits tourists from the UK to Vietnam. I hope that there’ll be more flights a week", said Kim Pham, overseas Vietnamese in the UK.
Time savings translate into cost savings and both result in increased numbers of trips between the two countries. There are some 40,000 Vietnamese resident in the UK and the UK is third among EU members in terms of FDI in Vietnam with 194 projects. Nearly 100,000 travelled between the two countries last year, an on-year increase of 11%.
In addition to quantity, improving service quality is also a priority of Vietnam airlines. Vietnam Airlines plans to increase the number of direct flights to 7 a week to meet increasing demand. The web check-in service for the route has also opened for over a week and serves some 50 passengers a day. These small efforts are having a big effect in improving ties between these geographically far-flung friends.
