It was a Donghai Airlines charter flight from Shenzhen City in China.

The airport held a ceremony with a memorable water salute to mark the new twice-weekly service. It was attended by Dang Huy Hau, Deputy Chairman of Quang Ninh People’s Committee and representatives of airlines flying to the airport.

Quang Ninh, 150 km northeast of Hanoi, is home to Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO natural heritage site.

The charter flight, conducted by Donghai Airlines arrived
in Van Don airport at 1:30 am on May 27.

Pham Ngoc Sau, director of the airport, pledged all assistance to Donghai Airlines and to carry out promotional activities related to Van Don and Ha Long in Shenzhen and the wider Chinese market.

The launch of the Van Don-Shenzhen service is a first step in the airport’s strategy of going global, beginning with Asia’s most populous markets like mainland China, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, and Japan.

In June there will be new international services such as Van Don-Taiwan (Bamboo Airways) and Van Don-Incheon, South Korea (Vietnam Airlines). In China, there will be flights to Hainan, Nanning and Guangzhou.

"Later this year we will receive flights from Japan and Bangkok, while our domestic network will continue to expand with flights to Da Nang  and Phu Quoc Island," Sau said.

Van Don Airport welcomes its first international flight’s passengers with a ceremony.

In the five months since it opened, Van Don International Airport, invested by the Sun Group, has been hailed for its infrastructure and service quality.

It was the only Vietnamese airport to find a spot in the top five airports in terms of service quality in Vietnam Airlines’ Airport Performance Measurement Programme for the first quarter of 2019.