After a three-year pause, Hainan Airlines has reinstated direct service between Haikou, the capital of Hainan Island, and Vietnam’s Cam Ranh International Airport in Khanh Hoa Province. The flight restarted on 24 November with a thrice-weekly schedule (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) departing Haikou at 21:40 and arriving in Cam Ranh at 22:40 local time. Return sectors leave Cam Ranh just after midnight, landing back in Haikou at 03:15, positioning inbound tourists for immediate transfers to Sanya’s resort belt.
The relaunch taps pent-up demand from Chinese holidaymakers eager for short-haul beach escapes and from Vietnamese travellers curious about duty-free Hainan, now marketed as a Free-Trade Port with 30-day visa-free entry for most visitors. Vietnam, for its part, has granted unilateral 30-day visa-free entry to Chinese nationals since August, creating a convenient two-way leisure corridor.
![China–Vietnam Leisure Corridor Re-opens as Hainan Airlines Resumes Haikou–Cam Ranh Flights]()
Local tourism boards estimate the route could generate US $80 million in visitor spending during the upcoming Lunar New Year peak, while retailers in Haikou’s sprawling offshore-duty-free malls eye fresh traffic from Vietnam’s fast-growing middle class. The service also carries 3 tonnes of belly-hold cargo per flight, opening a niche export lane for Vietnamese seafood and tropical fruit into mainland China’s premium supermarkets.
Corporate travel buyers with manufacturing bases in both Hainan and southern Vietnam will benefit from an alternative to the over-land Shenzhen – Dongxing border crossing, which remains capacity-constrained. Travel policies should be updated to reflect the simplified visa requirements and late-evening flight times, which may necessitate hotel pre-arrangements on arrival in both directions.
Introductory fares start at CNY 980 (approx. US $135) return, inclusive of 23 kg baggage, with free rebooking allowed through 31 January. Hainan Airlines expects to add a fourth weekly frequency if load factors exceed 70 percent through year-end.
The relaunch taps pent-up demand from Chinese holidaymakers eager for short-haul beach escapes and from Vietnamese travellers curious about duty-free Hainan, now marketed as a Free-Trade Port with 30-day visa-free entry for most visitors. Vietnam, for its part, has granted unilateral 30-day visa-free entry to Chinese nationals since August, creating a convenient two-way leisure corridor.
Local tourism boards estimate the route could generate US $80 million in visitor spending during the upcoming Lunar New Year peak, while retailers in Haikou’s sprawling offshore-duty-free malls eye fresh traffic from Vietnam’s fast-growing middle class. The service also carries 3 tonnes of belly-hold cargo per flight, opening a niche export lane for Vietnamese seafood and tropical fruit into mainland China’s premium supermarkets.
Corporate travel buyers with manufacturing bases in both Hainan and southern Vietnam will benefit from an alternative to the over-land Shenzhen – Dongxing border crossing, which remains capacity-constrained. Travel policies should be updated to reflect the simplified visa requirements and late-evening flight times, which may necessitate hotel pre-arrangements on arrival in both directions.
Introductory fares start at CNY 980 (approx. US $135) return, inclusive of 23 kg baggage, with free rebooking allowed through 31 January. Hainan Airlines expects to add a fourth weekly frequency if load factors exceed 70 percent through year-end.
