Aircraft land at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City. Photo baogiaothong.vn

HCM CITY — The People's Committee of HCM City has proposed a direct air route to the Russian city of Saint Petersburg.

The new route would help facilitate tourism, investment, trade and people-to-people exchanges, the committee said. 

It noted that flights from HCM City to Saint Petersburg currently have to transit at one or two airports, which extended the flight time to at least 13 hours.
During a recent visit to Russia by HCM City’officials, leaders of the two cities agreed to consider launching a direct flight from Tân Sơn Nhất Airport in HCM City to Pulkovo Airport in Saint Petersburg.
This year, HCM City is also striving to establish a centre for economic, tourism and cultural co-operation in Saint Petersburg.

Just two years after the signing of a free trade agreement between Việt Nam and the Eurasian Economic Union, bilateral trade between Việt Nam and Russa had seen strong growth, at around 30 per cent each year, according to the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

In terms of investment, Russia currently ranks 24th out of 129 countries and territories investing in Việt Nam with 123 projects worth US$932 million. Meanwhile, Việt Nam has invested almost $3 billion in 22 projects in Russia. — VNS