(VOVworld) – Vietnam Airlines plans to launch direct flights between Hanoi and the Czech capital of Prague in 2017 to boost tourism between the two countries.

VNAT Director General Nguyen Van Tuan had a working session with Klara Dostalova on March 15 (Photo: VNA)

The news was revealed by Nguyen Van Tuan, Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), who is leading a delegation of officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to the Czech Republic from March 13-16.

Tuan and Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Truong Manh Son had a working session Tuesday with Klara Dostalova, First Deputy Minister of the Czech Ministry of Regional Development, to discuss tourism cooperation. Tuan said the two sides should prepare to sign an agreement on tourism cooperation and popularize each other’s tourism products and destinations. Ambassador Son said the VNAT will ask the Vietnamese Government to grant visa exemptions to Czech citizens and asked the Czech Republic to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese tourists filing visa applications.

Dostalova concurred, expressing her hope that more Vietnamese will visit the Czech Republic.