Chennai, Sep 27 (PTI) Private air carrier Vietjet would launch direct flights between Ho Chi Minh city and Tiruchirappalli from November 2 onwards, strengthening ties between the two countries, the Vietnam-based airline said on Wednesday.

The move to increase the flight connectivity between the two countries was in the backdrop of the sharp rise of Indian travellers visiting the East Asian country this year.

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According to Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, Indian travellers who visited the country grew by 200 per cent between January-June 2023 and placed India among the top 10 inbound markets for Vietnam.

The service, scheduled to commence from November 2 between the two cities, marks an important milestone for the development of Tiruchirappalli airport and to the tourism industry of the two countries.

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It is expected to further promote tourism, economic and trade cooperation, and development of bilateral relations between Vietnam and India, the airliner said in a statement.

"This new route showcases Vietjet's capability to connect the southern region of India with Vietnam cities, which open up more opportunities for travel and trade exchanges between the people of two countries with reasonable costs and good services," said Vietjet's Vice-President-Commercial-, Jay Lingeswara.

From Ho Chi Minh City, tourists would be able to further explore other parts of Vietnam like some of the popular coastal destinations including Da Nang, Nha Trang.

Flights from Tiruchirappalli to Ho Chi Minh City would be operated every Monday, Wednesday and Friday while in the return direction it would be on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)