Direct flights from Moscow have increased the flow of Russians to Vietnam by 50%.

In the first month after the resumption of direct flights from Moscow to Ho Chi Minh City, the flow of Russian tourists to Vietnam increased by 50%. However, tour operators aren't expecting a massive influx of vacationers until charter flights to the resorts become available.

In February 2024 , Russians made approximately 19,100 trips to Vietnam, according to data from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of the Republic. Compared to the previous year, the number of visits increased by 65%: in the same month of 2023, statistics recorded the arrival of 11,500 Russian citizens. In just two months of 2024, Russians visited Vietnam 38,600 times, which is 58.7% more than in the same period last year (24,300).

February marked the first month when direct flights to Vietnam from Moscow finally resumed after a four-year hiatus. In the spring of 2020, Aeroflot suspended scheduled flights to the country due to CORONAVIRUS restrictions. On January 31, 2024, the carrier resumed direct flights from Sheremetyevo to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from where passengers can reach popular beach resorts such as Long Hai, Phan Thiet, Mui Ne, and Phu Quoc Island. Aeroflot initially plans to operate two flights a week to Ho Chi Minh City: on Wednesdays and Sundays, and Friday flights will be added starting February 16, the airline announced. Previously, only IrAero operated direct flights to Vietnam; it resumed flights from Irkutsk to Hanoi in June 2023.

The significant increase in travel from RUSSIA to Vietnam is linked to the resumption of direct scheduled air service between the countries, according to representatives of tour operators Intourist and Russian Express. "The launch of direct flights always makes a destination more attractive," added Dmitry Gorin, Vice President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry.

Vietnam was previously considered a popular destination for budget beach holidays among Russians. Before the pandemic, Vietnam was among the top five popular winter holiday destinations for Russians. In 2019, according to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Border Service, the country ranked 11th among foreign tourist destinations for Russians. That year, the agency recorded a total of 418,900 such trips to Vietnam.

In March 2020, after the pandemic beganDue to covid-19, Vietnam, like other countries, closed its borders to foreign tourists. The country reopened to international travelers two years later—in March 2022, Vietnam reinstated visa-free entry for 14 days for citizens of 13 countries, including Russians. In the absence of direct flights, tour operators sent tourists to Vietnam on connecting flights through third countries, but these flights were unpopular due to their high cost.

However, despite the resumption of direct flights between Moscow and Ho Chi Minh City, tour operators are not yet expecting a surge in demand for travel to Vietnam. According to Artur Muradyan, CEO of tour operator Space Travel, tourists are interested in direct flights to resorts such as Nha Trang and Phu Quoc. A flight to Ho Chi Minh City means tourists will have to fly or drive to the beach resorts: the city is closer to Phan Thiet (200 km), while Nha Trang is a 7-8-hour bus ride or an hour by plane, according to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia.

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There won't be a massive influx of tourists to Vietnam until charter flights from Russian tour operators in Moscow and other regions begin flying to the country's resorts, agrees Daria Domostroyeva, a representative of the tour operator Intourist. Yuri Savin, a representative of the tour operator Russian Express, also agrees. According to Domostroyeva, there will be no charter flights to Vietnam this winter or the upcoming summer season, but "they may appear in the fall of 2024 or winter of 2025."

Before the pandemic, there were many charter flights to Vietnam, making the destination more accessible to mass tourism, Gorin recalls. Currently, scheduled direct flights or connecting flights are significantly more expensive than previously available, he notes. Given the increased competition, Vietnam's share of outbound travel is currently smaller than Thailand's. "But there is a good chance of recovery," the expert concluded.