Vietnam Airlines Sees Opportunity in China

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 ◆ Vietnam Airlines Sees Opportunity in China

Vietnam Airlines, the country's national flag carrier, reported an occupancy rate of 80 percent on the newly opened flights from Beijing to Hanoi during China's National Day holidays. Air routes from Beijing to Ho Chi Minh City and from Kunming to Hanoi will be opened by the end of this month, while a route between Shanghai to Ho Chi Minh City is on the agenda for next year, according to Phan Mau Tien, general manger of the Airlines' Beijing Office. "We will further strengthen cooperation with China so as to sharpen our competitive edge," Phan said. Statistics show that since the flights opened between Vietnam and China's Guangzhou Province in 1992, the two countries have taken a stride forward in trade and economic cooperation. Last year the bilateral trade volume hit US$ 2 billion, which set a record in the southeast Asian economic zone. As Vietnam was approved by the Chinese government as a destination for air travel, exchanges between the two nations have boomed, with 620,000 Chinese people flying there last year. Cooperation in other fields such as the iron and steel industry, technology and education also offered favorable chances to develop new flights courses between the two countries. Phan said the growing holiday economy will not only push China' s economy but also promote airline business in the neighboring countries. Vietnam Airlines is going to open more weekend flight routes, enabling more Vietnamese to tour China.