Vietnam Airlines Signs MOC with Singapore Tourism Board

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(16/08/23)
 Vietnam Airlines and the Singapore
Tourism Board (STB) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation
(MOC) designed to encourage business and leisure travel between
the two countries.

The MOC
is Vietnam Airlines’ first with a national tourism organisation
and
coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations
between Singapore and Vietnam.

Vietnam is
currently among Singapore’s top 10 markets for tourism, with more
than 280,000 visitors in the first seven months of 2023, an
increase of 123% compared to the same period last year.

Prior
to the pandemic, visitor arrivals from Vietnam to Singapore
enjoyed a steady growth of up to 13% year-on-year, demonstrating
the growth potential of the market.

Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321 on a foggy day in Hanoi, Vietnam. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com

“We are delighted to be the
first National Tourism Organisation to sign a Memorandum of
Cooperation with Vietnam Airlines, a valued partner in Southeast Asia,”
said Melissa Ow, Chief Executive of Singapore Tourism Board. “Vietnam is an important tourism source market for
Singapore and has strong growth potential for the future.
Through this partnership, we hope to grow Singapore’s appeal as
a top destination for Vietnamese travellers and enable them to
discover the diversity of world-class experiences and events in
Singapore.”

Singapore is also a
strategic market for Vietnam Airlines in Southeast Asia. More than 7 million
passengers have flown between the two countries on the national
carrier since it launched services between Vietnam-Singapore more
than 30 years ago.

Vietnam Airlines currently operates 35 flights per week
between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) and Singapore.

In 2022, the
total number of passengers transported by the airline on routes to
Singapore reached more than 290,000 passengers, and during the first
seven months of 2023, the carrier transported 266,000 passengers, an
increase of 2.4 times on the same period last year.

“As a national
carrier and representative of Vietnamese culture in the sky,
Vietnam Airlines plays a distinct role in the socio-economic
development, especially tourism,” said Dang Ngoc Hoa, Chairman of
the Board of Directors, Vietnam Airlines. “We believe that this
cooperation with the Singapore Tourism Board will lay a strong
foundation for broader and deeper partnerships in the future,
vigorously advancing the goals of evolving the tourism industry in
both countries, as well as fostering the amicable relationship
between Vietnam and Singapore. With an extensive flight network,
Vietnam Airlines can support enhancing connectivity between the
ASEAN region and key markets worldwide, offering passengers more
diverse choices.”