HANOI, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The first direct air route between Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi and China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) operated by the country's national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has opened.

The first flight from Hanoi to Macao SAR by the airline departed Monday's evening, making this the 10th new route of Vietnam Airlines this year and the 18th route between Vietnam and China, Vietnam News Agency reported on Tuesday.

With the frequency of one round-trip flight per day, the new route will help to meet the increasing passenger transport demand as well as strengthen connectivity and cooperation between China's Greater Bay Area and Vietnam.