SHENZHEN Airlines has launched direct routes linking Shenzhen and Guangzhou with Vietnam’s Hanoi.

The new routes with daily flights using Boeing 737 aircraft are expected to help boost tourism, trade, economic cooperation and cultural exchanges between China and Vietnam, Shenzhen Airlines said, noting that the two maiden flights were made Sept. 30.

Vietnam welcomed 3.8 million Chinese visitors in the first nine months of this year, accounting for 32.8 percent of its total international arrivals, posting a year-on-year surge of 29.7 percent, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Among the more than 11.6 million international arrivals Vietnam hosted in the nine-month period, over 9.4 million came to the country by air, up 17.4 percent. (Xinhua)