HCM CITY — A joy ride that offers aerial views of the sprawling metropolis and its diverse landscapes is the latest tourism product launched under the “Welcome to HCM City” programme.

The latest tourism product and service, a helicopter tour, will also provide emergency medical services, officials said at its launch on Tuesday.

The service was launched by the city’s Department of Tourism in coordination with Military Hospital 175 and the Southern Vietnam Helicopter Company (VNH South).

The pilot flight departed from Military Hospital 175 to the southern province of Ba Rịa-Vũng Tau and refuelled at the Tan Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City before returning to the hospital.

The city’s tourism department will conduct air tours and promote the product. Military Hospital 175 will maintain the helipad and work to ensure safety of passengers.

The Southern Helicopter Company will be responsible for maintaining the flight schedule, safety protocols and other regulations set by the Ministry of National Defence.

Nguyễn Thị Ánh Hoa, director of the city’s Department of Tourism, the service will officially go into operation on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the liberation of the southern region and national reunification (April 30, 1975-2022).

Visitors and residents can enjoy citywide helicopter tours from April 30 onwards.

The new service is expected to attract more tourists and help develop HCM City into a leading dynamic tourism destination in Asia, Hoa added.

The helicopter tour is first in a series of unique products that the city's tourism industry is developing to attract tourists, she said.

There will be short and medium-range tours on offer. In the short-range tours, passengers can witness HCM City’s downtown area, or the downtown area and Cần Giờ City in 30-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, on the medium-range tours, which last some 60 minutes, visitors can fly from HCM City’s downtown or Cần Giờ District to the “Endless Field” in Long An Province. Phạm Tấn Hoa, deputy chairman of Long An, said he was impressed with the new service and believed that it would contribute to promoting tourism between HCM City and other provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta, including Long An.

The helicopters will also undertake medical emergency tasks like providing first aid and making evacuations. — VNS