Continued relaxation of visa rules and launch of Vietnam Airlines' daily service make visiting Vietnam easier than ever before

The Government of Vietnam has announced that it is extending its visa exemption program for UK passport holders for single-entry stays of up to 15 days, until 30 June 2017. The policy, which was first introduced on 1 July 2015, also applies to French, German, Spanish and Italian nationals.

According to Vietnam's General Statistics Office, 4.7m people visited the country in the first six months of 2016, representing a 21.3 percent increase on last year's figures. It is also being reported that annual tourism revenues have risen by 22 percent to VND200 trillion (£6.8bn). The extension of the visa exemption program comes just after the introduction of Vietnam Airlines' daily nonstop services between Heathrow and Vietnam – a new Thursday flight to Hanoi was added to the national flag carrier and SkyTeam member's existing six flights per week schedule on 23 June 2016.

Vietnam Airlines offers the UK's only nonstop flights to Vietnam, operating the B787-9 Dreamliner from Heathrow Terminal 4. The flights are carefully scheduled to offer convenient overnight journeys 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 Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City currently start from £396 per person, inclusive of taxes. For further information and reservations visit www.vietnamairlines.com or speak to a travel agent.

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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 became 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 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.

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