The new route will have one flight a day that takes about 90 minutes between the two destinations. On Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, the flights will depart from Hanoi at 7:30 p.m. and from 11:50 p.m. from Macau; and from Hanoi at 4 a.m. and Macau at 8:35 a.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Known by many as the Asia’s gaming capital with its many casinos, the territory of Macau is also a UNESCO world heritage site with more than 20 important and well-preserved historical sites. Among the most famous attractions are the ruins of St. Paul's Church and Largo do Senado (Senate Square).

Macau is famous as a gambling hub of Asia. Photo by AFP.

The flights to Macau will follow another new route launched by Vietnam Airlines later this month from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to China’s Shenzhen City.

The first flight will take off from HCMC on November 27. This route will have three flights a week - on Monday, Wednesday and Friday The four-times-a-week Hanoi-Shenzhen service will begin a day later, with flights on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

China is Vietnam’s biggest tourism feeder market, with more than 4.5 million Chinese visiting in the first 10 months, up 9.4 percent year-on-year, accounting for 31 percent of all foreign visitors, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Vietnam overtook South Korea to claim second spot last year behind Myanmar in the list of feeder markets for China, statistics released last month by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism show.

More than 6.3 million Vietnamese visited China last year, double the figure in 2016.