Inbound passengers go through border inspection procedures at Haikou Meilan International Airport in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Oct. 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

A new direct air route linking Haikou, the capital city of China's southernmost island province of Hainan, and Nha Trang in Vietnam was launched on Monday.

The new route is operated by Hainan Airlines, using a Boeing 737 aircraft, and offers round-trip flights every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Outbound flights depart from Haikou at 10:45 p.m. Beijing time and arrive at Nha Trang at 11:45 p.m. local time. Inbound flights take off from Nha Trang at 1:10 a.m. local time the next day and arrive in Haikou at 4:10 a.m. Beijing time.

The new route not only provides passengers with more cross-border travel options during the upcoming Christmas and New Year's Day, but also builds a new air bridge for economic, trade, tourism and cultural exchanges between Hainan and Southeast Asia.

Haikou Meilan International Airport is making every effort to promote the opening and resumption of international routes linking Haikou with cities including Seoul and Ho Chi Minh, and continues to promote economic and trade cooperation and exchanges with the ASEAN region.