HANOI, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Shenzhen Airlines from China has launched direct routes linking south China's Shenzhen and Guangzhou with Vietnam's Hanoi.

The new routes with daily flights using Boeing 737 aircraft are expected to help boost tourism, trade and economic cooperation and cultural exchange between China and Vietnam, Shenzhen Airlines said on Monday, noting that the two maiden flights were made on Sunday.

Vietnam welcomed 3.8 million Chinese visitors in the first nine months of this year, or 32.8 percent of the total international arrivals, posting a year-on-year surge of 29.7 percent, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Among more than 11.6 million international arrivals Vietnam hosted in the nine-month period, over 9.4 million came to the country by air, up 17.4 percent.