A new direct air route linking China's Shenzhen and Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City was launched by China Southern Airlines after an Airbus A320 carrying 150 passengers landed here Friday evening.

There are eight weekly round-trip flights, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, between Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport and Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.

In June, China Southern Airlines launched a route linking the Chinese city of Guangzhou and the Vietnamese city of Nha Trang.