QUẢNG TRỊ — The launch of direct flights connecting Cam Ranh and Đồng Hới is not only shortening the distance between the two localities but also creating unprecedented opportunities for tourism cooperation, linking heritage sites, historical attractions, and coastal resorts across central Việt Nam.
With the first commercial flights now successfully operating, the tourism sectors of Quảng Trị and Khánh Hòa are actively looking to develop innovative inter-regional tourism products. By doing so, they aim to diversify visitor experiences, attract a larger volume of tourists, and make effective and sustainable use of each locality’s distinct potential and competitive strengths.
Shorter Distances, Greater Opportunities
Just over an hour after departing from Cam Ranh International Airport in Khánh Hòa Province, a passenger flight touches down smoothly at Đồng Hới Airport in Quảng Trị Province. For many passengers aboard these inaugural journeys, the introduction of this direct route offers not only significantly greater convenience but also exciting opportunities to explore brand-new destinations all along the scenic central coast of Việt Nam.
Previously, travelling between the two localities by road took a considerable amount of time, often severely disrupting travel plans, particularly for travellers taking short holidays or those attempting to combine leisure activities with business engagements. This geographical barrier made frequent travel impractical for many. However, the introduction of direct air connectivity has successfully eliminated these physical barriers, rendering travel remarkably easier and more efficient for local residents, corporate business travellers, and leisure tourists alike.
Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Tú, a tourist from Khánh Hòa Province who was among the privileged passengers on the maiden Cam Ranh – Đồng Hới route, expressed immense satisfaction regarding the dramatic reduction in travel time. She noted that the direct flight made her overall journey significantly more convenient, saved valuable time, and drastically reduced physical fatigue compared with alternative means of transport.
Sharing a remarkably similar perspective, Đào Anh Bùi, another passenger from Khánh Hòa Province, recalled that he had previously been forced to travel between the two localities by coach, a grueling journey that typically consumed between 17 and 19 hours of transit time. By switching to air travel, however, the exact same journey is completed in approximately one hour and 15 minutes, transforming a multi-day logistical hurdle into a brief, comfortable hop.
Beyond comfortably meeting local travel demand, the newly established Cam Ranh – Đồng Hới route is widely expected to catalyze further opportunities for broader tourism development, bilateral trade, and strategic investment between Quảng Trị and Khánh Hòa, as well as a ripple effect benefiting neighboring provinces across the central region.
Khánh Hòa has long been globally renowned for its exceptional coastal and island tourism, high-end luxury resorts, and a well-developed, sophisticated ecosystem of accommodation and tourism services that consistently attracts massive numbers of both domestic and international visitors. Meanwhile, Quảng Trị boasts an abundance of distinct and largely complementary tourism resources, including the world-famous Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng National Park, a prestigious UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site characterized by spectacular, sprawling cave systems, alongside prominent historical and revolutionary sites, and attractive, uncrowded beaches.
The newly established air connectivity between these two dynamic localities creates highly favorable operating conditions for travel itineraries that seamlessly combine beach holidays, immersive nature exploration, historical discovery, and deep cultural experiences. Furthermore, it provides a solid structural foundation for professional travel companies and tour operators to develop entirely new, customized tours tailored specifically to increasingly diverse visitor preferences.
Bùi Thị Thanh Thúy, Deputy Director of the Quảng Trị Province Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Centre, emphasized that the Đồng Hới – Cam Ranh route would serve as a vital link connecting various iconic destinations along Central Việt Nam’s legendary heritage route. This development opens up substantial opportunities for profound tourism cooperation between the two localities and other key provinces situated within the wider region.
According to Thúy, this direct air connectivity does much more than simply make travel physically convenient; it actively facilitates the development of joint tourism programs that offer much richer and more deeply attractive experiences for travelers. These collaborative initiatives are projected to help extend visitors’ average length of stay, encourage higher tourist spending, and substantially improve the overall economic effectiveness of regional tourism products.
Connecting Destinations, Expanding Tourism
The introduction of this new air route is widely considered by industry experts to be an important foundational step toward strengthening comprehensive tourism cooperation between Quảng Trị and Khánh Hòa. Nevertheless, local authorities acknowledge that to fully capitalize on this strategic advantage, both localities must proactively develop highly distinctive tourism products, step up targeted promotional campaigns, and carefully curate attractive itineraries that accurately meet evolving market demand.
As one of Việt Nam’s premier coastal tourism powerhouses, Khánh Hòa is uniquely well-positioned to act as a gateway, seamlessly connecting international visitors arriving at its shores with the rich, diverse offerings of Quảng Trị through the convenience of this direct flight. Conversely, Quảng Trị’s specialized offerings in cave exploration, heritage discovery, and historical tourism can provide refreshing, entirely new experiences to tourists who are primarily holidaying in the coastal resorts of Khánh Hòa.
Thái Thị Lệ Hằng, Director of the Khánh Hòa Province Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, noted that the inauguration of the Cam Ranh – Đồng Hới route aligns perfectly with the locality’s overarching tourism development orientation, which centers on offering visitors "one journey, multiple experiences."
According to Hằng, while the launch of the new route is undeniably a very positive sign, the far more important task ahead is to maintain regular, reliable flight operations, utilize the route with maximum efficiency, and gradually incorporate it into a comprehensive network of interconnected tourism products spanning both provinces.
"We sincerely hope that once the route is fully established, effective long-term solutions will be found to keep it operating smoothly and successfully turn this connectivity advantage into tangible, marketable tourism products. Most importantly, the two localities need to work closely together to develop more tourism products that genuinely complement and support each other," Hằng stressed during recent regional tourism discussions.
In practical terms, the successful development of inter-regional tourism depends heavily not only on robust transport infrastructure but equally upon close, sustained coordination among state management agencies, commercial airlines, hospitality and accommodation providers, and private travel companies. Joint travel itineraries must be carefully tailored to address the distinct needs and preferences of different visitor demographics while rigorously ensuring high standards of service quality and competitive pricing.
For Quảng Trị, expanding air connectivity is of paramount importance as the province steps up its ongoing efforts to unlock its vast tourism potential and progressively develop distinctive products closely associated with pristine nature, deep historical significance, rich local culture, and relaxing coastal holidays.
Official regional statistics demonstrate that the tourism sector in Quảng Trị continued to record remarkably solid growth throughout the first nine months of the year. During this period, the province welcomed more than 9.3 million visitors, representing a healthy increase of 11.67 per cent compared to the same timeframe in the previous year.
A closer breakdown of these figures reveals that domestic arrivals exceeded 8.97 million, while international visitors accounted for a total of 425,500 arrivals. Concurrently, total provincial tourism revenue was estimated at VNĐ10.8 trillion, which similarly represents an impressive year-on-year increase of 11.67 per cent compared with the corresponding period last year.
These strong economic and visitation results highlight Quảng Trị’s rising tourism appeal while simultaneously underscoring the ongoing necessity to continually improve service quality, diversify available tourism products, and successfully expand visitor source markets. Establishing direct air routes linking the province directly with major national and regional tourism hubs is widely regarded as one of the most effective measures to make local destinations significantly more accessible to travelers.
In addition to driving a surge in domestic tourists, the newly launched Cam Ranh – Đồng Hới route provides an invaluable strategic opportunity to reach international visitors who regularly travel to Khánh Hòa, particularly discerning travelers who actively seek to combine relaxing beach holidays with immersive nature, cultural, and historical exploration.
To turn this vast theoretical potential into concrete reality, both localities recognize the critical need to strengthen joint marketing and promotional campaigns, forge active business-to-business connections, and jointly develop well-structured inter-regional tourism programs. Maintaining a stable, predictable flight schedule, securing sufficient and consistent passenger numbers, and continuously improving service quality across all touchpoints will be absolutely crucial to ensuring the route’s long-term commercial viability and sustainability.
Ultimately, the flights connecting Cam Ranh and Đồng Hới are gradually creating an entirely new spatial landscape for regional tourism cooperation. With geographical distances drastically reduced, both destinations are equipped with greater opportunities to complement one another effectively and offer diverse, highly attractive itineraries to travelers.
This dynamic is expected to help Quảng Trị make much better use of its unique potential and inherent strengths, significantly enhance its overall market competitiveness, and steadily solidify its growing position on the broader tourism map of Central Việt Nam.
