The Thien Minh travel group has announced that it will offer seaplane tours this September, becoming the first supplier of this kind of tourism service in the country.

According to the group, Thien Minh, which owns Hai Au Aviation Company, will import two Cessna Grand Caravan EX aircraft from the US Cessna Aircraft Company.

The aircraft will arrive at Viet Nam’s Noi Bai International Airport in August before taking off for trial flights a month later. They will initially operate on the Hanoi-Ha Long route, before expanding to other routes in the southern region, including routes between Ho Chi Minh City to Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan, Can Tho, An Giang, Con Dao, and Phu Quoc.

Vietnam seaplane - Halong Bay

According to Deputy General Director of Thien Minh Group and CEO at Hai Au Aviation Luong Hoai Nam, Viet Nam boasts favorable conditions to facilitate seaplane tourism services with many rivers and streams and a beautiful, long coastline.

Instead of spending 3-4 hours travelling by bus from Hanoi to Ha Long, it should only take tourists 30 minutes to travel by seaplane, while experiencing scenic beauty from a height of 150-3,000 metres, said Nam. “We believe that seaplane services will bring a new and comprehensive experience for tourists, while promoting the development of Viet Nam's tourism in the future,” Nam added.

An expected cost of US$4,000, divided among the passengers, will be charged for a one-hour flight. A Hanoi-Ha Long one-way flight will cost around US$250 per person, while an extra US$100 will be charged for scenic flights around Ha Long Bay.

The state of the art US Cessna Grand Caravan EX seaplane can carry 12-18 passengers. It has a cruising speed of 300kph and is capable of taking off and landing at both normal airports and on the water.