Tigerair Taiwan plans to add a new country to its network in December when it begins flights to Vietnam.

Da Nang, the coastal city in central Vietnam known for its sandy beaches, will become the 14th destination being served by the airline at the present time.

Flights between Taipei’s Taiwan Taoyuan (TPE) and Da Nang (DAD) will start on Dec. 24, initially operating twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The outbound leg departs TPE at 4.40 p.m. and returns from DAD at 7 p.m.

The two cities are currently served four times per week by Starlux Airlines using Airbus A321neos after the carrier resumed flights in October following an absence of more than two-and-a-half years because of the pandemic. EVA Air is also set to return to the market in December with daily A321 flights after a similar hiatus.

Data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows that by mid-December—before Tigerair Taiwan launches service—there will be 4,456 two-way weekly seats between Taipei and Da Nang. This compares with 4,596 during the same week in 2019.

Da Nang, which hosted Routes Asia 2022 in June, is the largest city in central Vietnam and one of the country’s most important ports, marking the half-way point between Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south.

Known for its 30-km stretch of beaches, the city attracted about 8.7 million visitors in 2019, up by more than 13% on the previous 12 months. South Korea, China and Thailand are all large source markets.

Da Nang also remains an important sea gateway for the Central Highland region and an east-west economic corridor connecting Vietnam with Laos, Thailand and Myanmar. The city has about 1.16 million residents, with the population forecast to swell to about 1.8 million by the end of the decade.

The air transport market between Taipei and Da Nang has seen various operators come and go in recent years. In November 2019, Bamboo Airways, Jetstar Pacific Airlines and the now-defunct Far Eastern Air Transport provided nonstop flights.

EVA Air and VietJet launched routes the following month, with Starlux’s service starting in January 2020. Following the onset of the pandemic when all flights were halted, Vietnam Airlines provided limited TPE-DAD service from December 2020 until December 2021.