On the afternoon of March 15, flight number 9G 2952, Airbus A321neo carrying 200 passengers from Phu Quoc landed at Cam Ranh International Airport at 3:40 pm.
This is the first flight to open the direct route connecting two famous tourist destinations Nha Trang and Phu Quoc.
Immediately after landing, the flight was welcomed with a water cannon salute ceremony. Mr. Nguyen Long Bien - Vice Chairman of Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee and leaders of aviation and tourism units presented gifts and flowers to the first passengers.
Passengers on the flight were also welcomed by traditional art performances of Khanh Hoa with the message of an attractive, civilized and friendly tourist destination.
According to the Khanh Hoa Provincial Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center, in the afternoon of the same day, the flight departing from Cam Ranh also landed at Phu Quoc Airport at 6 pm on the same day, completing the first round-trip flight on the new route.
The Nha Trang - Phu Quoc route was initially operated by Sun Phu Quoc Airways with 4 flights per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays and is expected to increase to a daily frequency in the near future.
The flight distance between the two destinations is only about 1 hour and 20 minutes, helping tourists easily combine a resort itinerary at both sea tourism centers in the same trip.
For many years, although both are prominent sea tourist destinations, Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) and Phu Quoc (Kien Giang) have not yet had regular direct flights.
Passengers wanting to travel between two localities often have to transit in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, causing travel time to be prolonged.
In 2025, Khanh Hoa province welcomed about 16.4 million visitors, an increase of more than 14% compared to the previous year, including 5.5 million international visitors. Cam Ranh International Airport continues to be an important aviation gateway, serving the majority of visitors to the locality.
Meanwhile, Phu Quoc recorded strong growth in tourism in recent years. In 2025, the island welcomed more than 8.1 million visitors, including about 1.8 million international visitors, with total tourism revenue of nearly 44,000 billion VND.
The direct flight route between the two destinations is therefore expected to strengthen passenger connectivity, expand the tourism market and improve the accessibility of international tourists.
The commissioning of direct flights is expected to strengthen connectivity between the South Central Coast and Southwest regions, creating favorable conditions for two-way passengers. At the same time, it opens up opportunities to develop inter-regional tourism products between the two localities.
