Travel Agencies Offer Visa-Free Tour to Da Lat in South Korea

Pink cherry blossoms glow at a street corner in Da Lat. Photo by Bill Balo

Several travel businesses in Da Lat, a resort town in the Central Highland of Lam Dong, are offering visa-free tours departing from Lien Khuong airport and heading to the Republic of Korea (RoK), with the first flights set to start in early July, VOV reported Friday.

The route going to the south of the RoK has recently been promoted in Vietnam following the launch of charter flights departing from Hanoi, Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Ho Chi Minh City.

In Lam Dong province, the visa-free tour is set to include flights connecting Lien Khuong Airport to Muan Airport in Jeollanam province in the RoK.

During the trip, travelers will visit the Sinan islands, also known as the Purple Islands, which is an emerging destination in the RoK, call at the traditional Gwangju Yangdong market, the Gwangju Lake eco-geological park, the Suncheon film set, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Seonam Temple, and Jeollanam province which is considered a food capital of the East Asian country.

Nguyen Nhat Vu, vice president of the Lam Dong tourism association, said Jeollanam possesses majestic nature along with various aspects of unique cultural heritages, meaning the area holds a distinct attraction to tourists.

In addition to the promotion of the Da Lat-Jeollanam tour, the number of Korean visitors to Da Lat is also forecast to grow strongly moving forward, he noted.

Jeollanam province in the Republic of Korea possesses majestic nature along with various aspects of unique cultural heritages, meaning the area holds a distinct attraction to tourists. Photo: Nguyen Oanh

With the new service in place, people in Lam Dong and nearby localities can enjoy cheaper and more convenient tours, as opposed to traveling to major cities such as Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to depart to the RoK.

In April, Vietjet announced that it will operate the first direct route connecting Da Lat with Busan, the largest coastal city of the RoK, in July, VNA reported.

Accordingly, the leading Vietnamese new-age carrier will operate seven flights per week, starting July 13. Flights take off from Lien Khuong Airport in Da Lat at 1:25 am (local time) and land at Gimhae airport in Busan at 8:00 am (local time), while flights from Gimhae Airport (Busan) to Lien Khuong Airport (Da Lat) take off at 9:30 am (local time) and land at 12:15 am (local time).

On the occasion, Vietjet is offering passengers three golden days with attractive promotions applicable to all routes between Vietnam and the RoK from only 0 VND from April 25-27.

Situated on a plateau around 1,500 meters above sea level, Da Lat enjoys year-round cool weather that is in contrast to Vietnam’s tropical climate.

As one of Vietnam’s biggest flower-growing regions, producing around 3 billion flower cuts every year, the city is a must-visit destination for flower lovers around the world.

Last year, the city welcomed about 7 million visitors, including about 140,000 foreign visitors.

Meanwhile, Vietnam is an important market the RoK’s tourism. As of early June, the RoK welcomed 163,000 tourist arrivals from Vietnam, equivalent to 73% of that in the same period of 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. It looks to attract nearly 400,000 Vietnamese visitors this year, or 70% of the pre-pandemic level, according to the Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) Vietnam.