A flight with 100 passengers aboard took off from Jiangbei international airport in central China's Chongqing City to Vietnam's capital city of Hanoi on March 6, opening the first direct air route between the two cities.

The maiden flight operated by China's Sichuan Airlines helps shorten the travel time between the two cities to two hours.

Previously, passengers from Chongqing to Hanoi had to transfer in Nanning or Beihai, making their travel inconvenient and time consuming.

According to Vice General Director of Sichuan Airlines Zhang Huiyu, direct flights will be conducted every Thursday and Sunday.

Chongqing is devoted to developing itself into an outlet connecting China's core to southeastern Asian countries. Vietnam is expected to be among attractive destinations for international tourists from Chongqing and surrounding cities and provinces.

(Source :VNA)