By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, April 11: There is great potential for growing flight connectivity between Malaysia and Vietnam, particularly from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, says federal Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Dato Seri Tiong King Sing.
In a Facebook post on April 10, Tiong said he recently led a delegation from his ministry (MOTAC) and Tourism Malaysia to Vietnam to promote and market the country’s tourism.
During the visit, he said he engaged with local airlines, including VietJet Air and Bamboo Airways, to explore ways to increase flight frequencies and unlock greater opportunities for the tourism markets of both countries.
“For instance, during our discussions, Nguyen Thanh Son, vice president of VietJet Air, shared that the airline currently operates only two flights daily to Malaysia.
“In response, I proposed the use of Airbus A330 aircraft to increase passenger capacity and better accommodate the growing demand for bilateral travel,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said that Bamboo Airways chief executive officer (CEO) Luong Hoai Nam highlighted that although the airline once operated a fleet of 30 aircraft, its operations were scaled down during the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, said Tiong, they are now in the process of gradually rebuilding their fleet, with plans to expand to 80 aircraft by the end of this year, adding that he also expressed the airline’s keen interest in resuming flights to Malaysia in the near future.
“I conveyed that with strong support from the government, many businesses are now actively recovering and resuming operations. I welcomed the Bamboo Airways team to explore potential collaborations in Malaysia.
“Both parties also discussed broader tourism cooperation across Asian countries and expressed optimism about tourism growth within the ASEAN framework,” said Tiong, who is also Bintulu MP and Dudong assemblyman.
He added that he also proposed deeper collaboration with Tourism Malaysia to tap into potential opportunities in destinations such as Penang, Perak, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak, particularly in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.
“This includes initiatives such as longhouse tourism in Sabah and Sarawak and a series of activities aligned with Visit Malaysia Year 2026, which would further strengthen cultural and tourism ties between our two nations.
“We hope that through various forms of cultural exchange, the Vietnamese people will gain a deeper appreciation of Malaysia’s tourism offerings and cultural richness.
“To this end, we are planning to arrange experiential tourism visits for Vietnamese delegations, allowing them to personally experience the unique charm and attractions that Malaysia has to offer,” he said. — DayakDaily
