After many days of disrupted operations due to conflicts in the Middle East, airlines began to resume part of their flights to take stranded passengers out of the area. As the first flights gradually took off again, many Vietnamese tourists also gradually found their way home.
Mr. Trinh Van Duc (26 years old, Hanoi) is one of the Vietnamese passengers who returned home safely, after about a week of reluctantly staying in Oman.
The male tourist had planned a business trip to Spain, so he booked a transit ticket at Doha airport, Qatar on February 28. However, due to escalating war in the Middle East, the plane made an emergency landing in the capital Muscat, Oman.
The unfortunate days in a country not in his plans, Mr. Duc gradually accepted reality. March 3rd, he received back a checked-in suitcase from the airline. He immediately booked a flight back to Vietnam on March 6th.
If according to the old schedule, on March 5th, I would finish my business trip and return to Vietnam. On the day I came to pick up my checked-in suitcase, about 10 flights had started operating again. However, the flight time could change at any time. Therefore, I decided to buy a ticket back to Vietnam instead of flying to Spain anymore," Mr. Duc said.
Because he bought a ticket back to Vietnam, this cost was paid by Mr. Duc himself, and if he chooses to fly further to the destination printed on the ticket, the cost will be paid by the airline. After considering the situation, he decided to return home.
The male tourist shared: "At home, family, relatives, and friends often texted and called to ask about me during the days I was in Oman. Even, some people who had not contacted each other for many years texted me. This made me very touched. And luckily, Oman is a neutral country, so it is very safe, and the people are very friendly.
On March 5th, new acquaintances successively parted ways with Mr. Duc to continue their journey. Most of these friends are working and living in Europe. After nearly a week of living together, when they parted ways, everyone felt reluctant and hoped to meet again soon.
At 10 pm on March 6, Mr. Duc's flight back to Vietnam was delayed to 2 am on March 7. The male tourist flew from Oman to Thailand at 11 am on the same day. He continued to wait for the flight back to Vietnam at night. Stepping home, the thing that made him feel happiest was having a good night's sleep after sleepless nights in a foreign land.
A colleague traveling with Mr. Duc, Mr. Nguyen Duy An (23 years old, Hanoi), returned to Vietnam earlier on the morning of March 5. With the same destination being Spain, but Mr. Nguyen Duy An (23 years old, Hanoi) chose a 22-hour flight in Dubai, UAE. However, the security atmosphere in Dubai is much more tense than in Oman.
The male tourist likened "5 days in Dubai to 5 months". Mr. An almost only moved around the hotel to eat and drink, and on the last day, he went down to the hotel's swimming pool to relax... Occasionally he still heard the sound of military aircraft in the sky.
To prepare for the morning flight on March 5th, Mr. An moved to the airport from 11 pm the previous night. The male tourist saw quite a few tourists at the airport who were also preparing for his flight.
There were quite a few compatriots on my flight back to Vietnam. Sitting on the plane for about 1.5 - 2 hours, I still didn't see the plane move, so I was a little worried. When the plane flew out of Middle East airspace, I was relieved to take a nap. My flight, because it didn't fly over Iranian airspace as usual but circled through Oman, India, increased the flight time. But in the end, I returned home safely," the male tourist confided.
Tens of thousands of flights in the region have been canceled since the conflict broke out, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers around the world stranded or having to change routes since February 28.
According to analysts, even if air routes are gradually resumed, the cautious sentiment of tourists may cause the number of international visitors to the Middle East to decrease sharply this year. Some forecasts show that the number of visitors to the region may decrease by 11-27%, meaning tens of billions of USD in tourism revenue are at risk of being affected if tensions persist.
For many tourists who have just returned safely like Mr. Duc or Mr. An, the surprise trip in the Middle East war is not only an unforgettable experience, but also a reminder of the fragility of journeys that seemed to have been carefully planned.
