This was one of the first two flights operated by VietnamAirlines after it announced to resume regular flights between Vietnam and Europe. Flight VN18 carried 294 passengers, more than half of them were from London, the UK, while the others from France.
The other was Flight VN36 heading to Hanoi from Germany’sFrankfurt on the same day.
“Vietnamese people living in France have been lookingforward to this moment for a very long time,” Vuong Huu Nhan, Chairman of theVietnamese Association in France, told the Vietnam News Agency, “because everybodylongs to fly home and see their families and friends.”
It is the first step for resuming normal travel betweenFrance and Vietnam, said Mai Nam Thang, a Vietnamese living in Normandie. Heexpressed his excitement to be able to return to Vietnam for Tet, saying “forVietnamese living in France like us, this is a very meaningful event when Tetis near.”
According to an estimate by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,about 140,000 overseas Vietnamese wish to travel home for Tet. The weeklynumber of arrivals in Vietnam is expected to exceed 30,000, including not onlyVietnamese but also foreigners who come to Vietnam on diplomatic mission, for officialduty or business purposes.
Vietnam Airlines have so far relaunched regular services to12 countries and territory, namely the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea,Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Taiwan (China), Australia, Russia, the UK,France and Germany.
From February 8, the flight schedule to the UK, France andGermany will be fixed on two routes. The flights on the first route departevery Tuesday from Hanoi to London, via Frankfurt and back to Hanoi, whilethose on the second depart every Thursday from Hanoi to Paris, via Frankfurtand back to Hanoi.
The national flag carrier also advises passengers to findout information and make sure to meet immigration regulations at theirdestinations such as health declaration, COVID-19 testing, vaccination orrecovery status./.