ANA To Begin Flights With The Dreamliner To Vietnam

Above, an All Nippon Airways jet at Narita Airport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Having lived through the Vietnam War era (the 1972 Paris Peace Agreement was just signed weeks before my 19th birthday, so I never had to go into the military), it is amazing to see how Vietnam has progressed. They are actively promoting tourism to their country.

At least they haven't allowed the country to be another Stalinistic world pariah like North Korea. I have thought, on occasion, about taking a side trip to Vietnam during a future Japan vacation. I just really don't know what there is to see in the country. Suggestions, anyone (who has been there)?

Which brings me to post two news items concerning tourism to Vietnam.

The first comes from Vietnamnet:

Japan’s five-star airline All Nippon Airways, the eighth largest airline in the world, just announced that starting June 1 it will put the new Boeing 787 model into service for the Hanoi-Tokyo (Haneda) route. 

This will be the first time this aircraft has flown in Vietnam. 

The 787 Dreamliner is at the cutting-edge of commercial aircraft design and features the latest technologies. 

Its entrance marks a huge leap in the development of the aviation industry with total orders for the aircraft reaching a record 890 units as of May 2013. 

ANA said it was proud to be one of the first airlines which placed an order for the 787s and the first airline to use the jet for numerous destinations worldwide, including Vietnam.

The next news article comes from Thanh Nien News:

Vietnam Airlines has announced two new routes from Hanoi and Da Nang City to Japan's Tokyo that are set to begin this July. 

The national flag carrier will operate seven flights per week between Hanoi and Tokyo's Haneda Airport from July 1, the Vietnam News Agency reported. 

The Da Nang – Narita Airport route is slated for inauguration July 16 with four flights per week. All flights will be operated with Airbus A321. 

The additional flights will inrease Vietnam Airlines’ direct routes between Vietnam’s three major cities – Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang – and four Japanese cities – Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Nagoya – to 10, and the amount of weekly flights to 62. 

A number of U.S. airlines do have flight routes to Vietnam. They include American, United, Delta and Northwest.