Vietnam Airlines flew more than 100 passengers from the Chinese capital Beijing to Hanoi on Sunday, marking its first regular service between the two capitals in three years, Vietnam News Agency reported. The Vietnam Airlines flight VN513 departed at 15:30 local time from Beijing and landed in Hanoi at 17:55 local time. Flights suspended in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic resumed on March 19 when passengers were welcomed with a ceremony at Beijing airport with the attendance of Vietnamese embassy officials. Vietnam Airlines, currently facing no competition on the route, is operating three flights per week between Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport, with the frequency due to further increase in mid-year. The carrier's Airbus A321 aircraft, with seating between 178 and 203 passengers, will operate the flights. China is one of Vietnam Airlines' largest international markets. The service resumption is expected to boost business travel and tourism in both directions, said local media.<br/>
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Police in Vietnam have arrested four Vietnam Airlines flight attendants for drug trafficking from France to Vietnam, the airline said on Friday. "Vietnam Airlines has received information about the detention of 4 flight attendants on flight number VN10 due to suspicion of carrying banned substances in the luggage," Vietnam Airlines spokesman Dang Tuan said in a statement to dpa. "Currently, they have been suspended from duty to help with the investigation." Customs officials at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City searched their luggage on Thursday and found more than 10 kilograms of ecstasy and narcotics after arriving on a flight from France to Vietnam, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported, quoting the customs agency. Vietnam has a reputation for extremely strict punishments for drug traffickers. Under Vietnamese law, the production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or cocaine, or 300 grams of methamphetamine, can carry the death penalty.<br/>