National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines said on May 8 it will increase service between Hanoi and Dong Hoi in central Quang Binh province up to seven flights per week to meet travel demand during this summer.

A cave at Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in the central province of Quang Binh.

The carrier will operate 6 or 7 flights per week on the Hanoi – Dong Hoi route between June 1 and August 31. The flight from Hanoi to Dong Hoi will depart 6:00 am from Tuesday to Sunday. During the peak time of summer from June 4 – August 27, the one-hour service will be available seven days a week.

The airline is offering promotional tickets priced from 600,000 VND for economy class and 1.8 million VND (79.2 USD) for business class, exclusive of taxes and fees and only applicable to travel from June 1 to August 31. 

Quang Binh in central Vietnam, renowned for beautiful beaches and breathtaking natural landscapes, has become one of the most popular destinations for both domestic and foreign travellers in recent years.

Last year, Dong Hoi city of the province welcomed nearly 1.1 million visitors, up 29 percent year-on-year. The city is home to a number of historical and cultural relic sites, including Dong Hoi Citadel and Church of Tam Toa.

The province is also blessed with Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, a paradise for cave explorers which was twice recognised as world natural heritage sites by UNESCO in 2003 and 2015.

It was listed among the “Top experiences in Vietnam” in 2017 by Lonely Planet – a renowned travel publication.

Located in the heart of Phong Nha – Ke Bang Nation Park is Son Doong cave, the largest of its kind in the world recognised by three international organisations, namely Guinness (based in the UK), the Association World Record (based in Hong Kong) and WorldKings (based in the US and India).

Son Doong was discovered by a local in 1991. It was first explored in 2009 by the British Cave Research Association and has been open to the public since 2013.

The 1,645m-long cave system, which extends through a mountain, was named one of the most captivating caves on earth by National Geographic.

Geologists say the cave formed two to five million years ago. It is roughly 6,5km long, 200m high and 150m wide, exceeding the former world record of Deer Cave in Gunung Muli National Park in Malaysia.-VNA