The first flight of the Tokyo-Hanoi direct route run by Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) will be launched on March 30.

As the first direct daily service linking the two countries’ capital cities, it will use Boeing 767 and 787, and is expected to bring more Japanese tourists and investors to Vietnam and vice versa.

On February 13-14, the Tokyo government held seminars on business and tourism in Hanoi as part of its first-ever large-scale promotion campaign in Vietnam, looking to offer business opportunities and draw tourists to Tokyo.

According to the Tokyo government, Vietnam boasts an economy with an impressive growth rate in recent years and the number of Vietnamese people travelling to Japan for sightseeing and shopping is increasing.

A recent Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)’s survey revealed that up to 70 percent of Japanese companies are looking forward to expanding business in Vietnam thanks to the country's advantages in terms of political stability, abundant labour force and low labour costs.

Japan is now Vietnam’s leading investor with its capital totalling 5.7 billion USD in 2013, making up 26.6 percent of foreign direct investment (FDI) poured into the country.-VNA