MAJOR express transportation company, FedEx Express, is enhancing its services into and out of the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, with the introduction of a new flight connecting the city to the FedEx APAC Hub in Guangzhou, China. The new service, using a dedicated B-757 freighter flying four times a week to and from Hanoi, will significantly improve transit times for all inbound flights to the capital city, and enable next-business-day delivery within Asia for the first time, the company said.

Vietnam exporters shipping from Hanoi will benefit from the best transit time for shipments to major business centres in Asia, including China, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, in just one business day. Shipments to Europe and North America will arrive in two business days. For all shipments to Hanoi, transit times are reduced by one business day. Shipments from Europe will reach Hanoi in two business days, and shipments from North America arriving in three business days.

'FedEx has been serving Vietnam since 1994 and was the first international express transportation company to operate its own flights into and out of the country,' said Karen Reddington, president, Asia Pacific, FedEx Express.

'Today, Vietnam is one of the world's fastest growing economies. We are seeing the rapid development of manufacturing and high-tech industries, a surge in e-commerce, and a growing demand for healthcare services and products.'

Recent research commissioned by FedEx found that 58 per cent of Vietnam's small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are exporting to markets in the Asia Pacific region and 80 per cent were exporting to markets beyond. The USA, China, India and the main European markets are the top export destinations.