Turkish Airlines, Air New Zealand to fly to Vietnam

Vietnam is set to receive more tourists from Turkey and New Zealand this summer thanks to new direct air services to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Turkish Airlines has announced to start operating five direct flights a week – three from HCMC and two from Hanoi – to Istanbul from June 27. The frequency will be raised to seven flights a week from October 31. Currently passengers have to transit in Bangkok. Air New Zealand is also scheduled to fly non-stop between HCMC and Auckland this June. There will be three flights a week until October, and the seasonal service is expected to be resumed next year. It will take 11 hours to fly between the cities. Vietnam received 11,267 visitors from the faraway New Zealand in the first four months this year, which was up 3% from a year ago. That was less than a tenth of the number of Australian visitors. Turkey also remains a small market for Vietnam's tourism industry.<br/>