Vietnam Airlines has won a prestigious duo of accolades at the 2016 World Travel Awards™ Asia & Australasia. At a glittering ceremony held at the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort on Saturday, Vietnam's national flag carrier took the highly contested top spot as Asia's Leading Airline – Economy Class as well as securing the prestigious title of Asia's Leading Cultural Airline.

World Travel Awards President, Graham Cooke, said: “It is an honour for World Travel Awards to present the trophies for Asia's Leading Airline – Economy Class and Asia's Leading Cultural Airline to Vietnam Airlines. These are some of the most prestigious titles in the region and the Vietnamese flag-carrier is a worthy winner.

My heartfelt congratulations to everybody at the organisation and I look forward to greeting their representatives at the World Travel Awards Grand Final, this year taking place in the Maldives, where Vietnam Airlines will compete for our global titles.”   

“We are very happy and proud to have been voted Asia's Leading Airline – Economy Class and Asia's Leading Cultural Airline. These awards are clear demonstrations of our commitment to constantly improve service quality and to bring Vietnamese culture to the world as the national flag carrier. On behalf of Vietnam Airlines, I would like to thank the World Travel Awards and everyone who voted for us. I also would like to extend our appreciation to our customers for their invaluable support and all of our staff for their efforts and contributions.” said Mr. Trinh Ngoc Thanh, Vice Executive President, Vietnam Airlines.

Regarded as the “Oscars” of the travel industry, the World Travel Awards™ recipients are decided by travel industry professionals from more than 140 countries who cast more than a million votes over the duration of the campaign. Every year, regional ceremonies are held in Europe, the Middle East, Africa & the Indian Ocean, South & Central America, North America & the Caribbean and Asia & Australasia, with the successors competing head-to-head to determine who will triumph as the ultimate global category victor in World Travel Awards™ finale, which will take place later this year.

Over the past two years Vietnam Airlines has undergone a dramatic transformation, launching its new corporate identity and rolling out a major fleet-wide upgrade that saw it become the first airline to operate the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner nonstop between Southeast Asia and Europe, and the first Asian airline to operate both Boeing and Airbus' modern next-generation aircraft at the same time. A total of 19 Boeing 787s and 14 Airbus A350-900 XWBs will be delivered to Vietnam Airlines by early 2019.

At the same time, Vietnam Airlines implemented a programme to upgrade service levels both in-flight and one the ground, which saw the airline achieve a prestigious 4-Star SKYTRAX rating in July this year.

For further information and reservations visit www.vietnamairlines.com.

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Notes to editors

As the national flag carrier of Vietnam, headquartered in Hanoi, Vietnam Airlines operates 94 routes to 21 domestic and 29 international destinations with more than 360 flights daily. Operating a young fleet, mainly comprising Boeing 777s, Airbus A330s and Airbus A321s, the airline is expanding its fleet with next-generation aircraft such as Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A350-900 XWBs. It become the first airline to operate the new B787-9 nonstop between Southeast Asia and Europe, and the first Asian airline to operate both Boeing and Airbus' modern next-generation aircraft at the same time.

2015 also saw the launch of Vietnam Airlines' fresh new livery, corporate identity and branding, and the switching of its UK operations from Gatwick to Heathrow in what was a transformative year of development for the airline. A member of the SkyTeam Alliance since 10 June 2010, Vietnam Airlines was also the first representative of the alliance in South East Asia.

Vietnam Airlines offers the UK's only nonstop flights to Vietnam, with daily services from Heathrow Terminal 4 to Hanoi or Saigon. Vietnam Airlines' nonstop services from the UK are carefully scheduled to offer convenient overnight flights in both directions, and excellent onward connections via its comprehensive network of over 40 destinations in Asia, including 23 within Vietnam and Indochina as well as China, Japan and Taiwan. Return fares from Heathrow to Ho Chi Minh City currently start from £395 per person, inclusive of taxes. For further information and reservations visit www.vietnamairlines.com or speak to a travel agent.

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