Travel

Vietnam Airlines drives tourism at Malaysia MATTA Fair

The three-day event, a premier platform for travel promotion, spotlighted Vietnam Airlines’ newly resumed Hanoi–Kuala Lumpur route and enhanced connectivity to popular destinations like Sa Pa, Ha Long, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City.

At the 56th annual Malaysia MATTA Fair (Photo: VNA)
At the 56th annual Malaysia MATTA Fair (Photo: VNA)

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Vietnam Airlines had a chance to access about 10,000 potential customers at the 56th annual Malaysia MATTA Fair held in Kuala Lumpur from April 18-20, showcasing its range of services and reinforcing Vietnam’s appeal as a top travel destination, its Chief Representative in Malaysia Hoang Minh Tri told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s reporter.

The three-day event, a premier platform for travel promotion, spotlighted Vietnam Airlines’ newly resumed Hanoi–Kuala Lumpur route and enhanced connectivity to popular destinations like Sa Pa, Ha Long, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. These routes continue to attract Malaysian travellers and international tourists based in Malaysia, with the airline serving as a preferred gateway for connecting flights.

To capitalise on this demand, Vietnam Airlines partnered with local tour operators to launch tailored travel packages highlighting Vietnam’s natural beauty and hospitality. The strategy is paying dividends: in the first quarter of 2025, over 54,000 Vietnamese visitors traveled to Malaysia, signaling robust two-way tourism growth.

Vietnam Airlines currently operates seven weekly round-trip flights between Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City. The resumed Hanoi – Kuala Lumpur route is set to boost the airline’s seat capacity in the Malaysian market by over 40%, catering to rising demand from global and regional travellers.

Datuk Manoharan Reriasamy, Director General of Tourism Malaysia, underscored Vietnam’s importance as a key ASEAN tourism market. Despite a dip in Vietnamese arrivals in 2024, the outlook is bright, fueled by restored direct flights and growing interest in both destinations.

A highlight of the fair was the launch of the MATTA Eco-Sustainable Tourism Initiative (MESTI), which promotes cultural preservation, marine and wildlife conservation. The initiative aligns MATTA’s activities with global sustainability standards, while equipping its members with the tools and knowledge needed to engage in responsible tourism practices.

The 2025 MATTA Fair set a record with 1,754 booths across eight halls, up from 1,590 in September 2024. Organisers anticipate over 210,000 visitors and 270 million MYR (61 million USD) in sales, surpassing the previous edition’s 190,000 visitors and 250 million MYR./.

VNA
#Vietnam Airlines #Malaysia MATTA Fair Malaysia Vietnam
Follow VietnamPlus

Post-pandemic recovery

Related News

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with special livery featuring the chim Lac (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam Airlines unveils Lac bird-themed livery on Boeing 787-9 aircraft

Vietnam Airline Deputy General Director Dang Anh Tuan said that the Lac bird embodies the pioneering spirit, the desire to conquer, and the will to continuously rise, adding displaying the symbol on Boeing 787, a pride of the global aviation technology, showcases the airline’s aspirations to connect the tradition and the future while carrying the Vietnamese identity across the world.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam (C) and other delegates at the opening ceremony of Hanoi – Kuala Lumpur direct air route of Vietjet Air on November 23. (Photo: VNA)

Party chief attends opening ceremony of Hanoi - Kuala Lumpur air route

As part of his official visit to Malaysia, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam on November 23 attended the opening ceremony of Hanoi – Kuala Lumpur direct air route of Vietjet Air, which is expected to further promote economic-cultural-tourism links between the two countries and the whole Southeast Asian region.

See more

The Dien Bien Phu campaign headquarters has become a popular tourist attraction in Dien Bien province. (Photo: VNA)

Dien Bien Phu tourism cable car project receives in-principle approval

The project aims to effectively tap the area’s natural landscapes, geographical advantages and distinctive historical value, while creating a high-quality tourism product with strong competitiveness. It is also intended to preserve, honour and promote the value of the Dien Bien Phu Victory special national historical relic site.

Da Lat station is the hub of the roughly 84-km Phan Rang–Da Lat railway (Photo: VNA)

Da Lat city's century-old railway station doubles as tourist draw

It now functions as both a transport hub and a sought-after photo spot. In the early morning, with mist still threaded through the pines, the station radiates an old-world calm. Visitors arrive at dawn to breathe the mountain air and capture iconic images of the highland city.

Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province. (Photo: VNA)

Quang Ninh - magnet for affluent Indian travellers

Alongside wedding tourism, Quang Ninh is also seeing robust growth in arrivals of Indian MICE travellers. Delegations of hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of visitors have been coming to the province for conferences, seminars and incentive travel programmes combined with leisure stays.

Visitors explore the Tra Su cajuput forest in An Giang province. (Photo: Tra Su Tourism Area)

Mekong Delta eyes stronger foothold in global tourism

Enriched by the alluvial deposits of the Mekong River, the region stands out for its dense canal network, year-round fruit orchards, biodiversity-rich national parks, and vibrant folk festivals – invaluable assets for developing diverse tourism offerings, from orchard-based eco-tourism and river experiences to cultural, festival, resort and nature conservation tourism.

A Lunar New Year court ceremony of Nguyen Dynasty is reenacted at Thai Hoa Palace in the Imperial Citadel of Hue (Photo: VNA)

Culinary, heritage passports reshape cultural tourism

The central city of Hue is among the first to forge new paths. Its “Hue Tourism Passport” began as a destination brochure in 2018 and has since evolved into the “Hue City Passport” app, with a heritage-passport feature that strings monuments into a structured journey.

Phu Quoc International Airport in Phu Quoc special zone of An Giang province. (Photo: VNA)

Air travel surges to 1.68 million passengers during holiday periods

Domestic air travel accounted for 675,140 passengers and 3,400 tonnes of cargo, marking declines of 7.5% and 11.6%, respectively. In contrast, international transport showed robust growth, surpassing 1 million passengers and reaching 24,050 tonnes of cargo, up 10% in passenger numbers and 10.6% in cargo volume.

International visitors admire the beauty of the My Son Cham sanctuary in Duy Xuyen, Da Nang. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam records 2 million foreign arrivals in April

The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) said the figures highlight the country’s rising profile as a safe, stable and increasingly compelling destination. It is the first time Vietnam has surpassed 2 million foreign arrivals for four straight months, and the first time the January – April tally has reached 8.8 million.

The Cau Vang (Golden Bridge) in the central city of Da Nang. (Photo: VNA)

Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang lead Thai tourists’ searches

Data from the online booking platform Agoda shows that Ho Chi Minh City recorded the highest growth in searches from Thailand, reaching 134%, followed by Da Nang with a 58% increase. Other destinations such as Hong Kong (China) saw more modest growth.