The launching of a new air route linking Phu Quoc island in southern
Kien Giang province and Singapore will create a new impetus for the
island’s development as well as the multi-faceted cooperation between
the two countries.
This was confirmed by Vice
Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Thanh Nghi at a
workshop introducing Phu Quoc Island, a new beach paradise of
Vietnam, in Singapore on September 30.
In
addition to promoting the image of Phu Quoc to Singapore and other
regional countries, the air route is hoped to develop the island into a
tourism hub, a marine city, and a special economic zone in the region
and beyond, targeting sustainable development and environmental
protection, Nghi said.
Nguyen Tien Nam, head of
Vietnam Airlines’ branch in Singapore, said the route, which is
scheduled to be launched on November 2 with two flights per week on
every Thursday and Sunday, will open up new opportunities for both
Singaporean and Vietnamese investors.
This is the
fourth air route after those connecting Singapore with Hanoi, Ho
Chi Minh City, and central Da Nang city, said Vietnamese Ambassador
to Singapore Tran Hai Hau, expressing hope that more routes will be
launched in the coming years to deepen the bilateral ties.
Vietnam and Singapore elevated their relations to a
strategic partnership in 2013, when two-way trade hit over 15 billion
USD. Singapore is Vietnam’s largest ASEAN investor with a total
registered foreign direct investment (FDI) of over 30 billion USD.
In January-July, Vietnam welcomed 120,000 Singaporean tourists
while nearly 200,000 Vietnamese visited the island country, respective
year-on-year increases of 5.5 percent and 14 percent, respectively.-VNA