Yesterday Vietnam Airlines announced its 26th birthday and to celebrate this achievement let us take a look at its history and formation.
Reaching Further
Vietnam Airlines was born on 27 May 1995, yet its birth began through the establishment of the Vietnam Civil Aviation Department by the then Government in January 1956 which operated only domestic flights from its fleet of five aircrafts. In its bid to expand its operations, the airline began flights to reach other destinations in Asia, post war, which included Laos, Cambodia, China whilst providing charter services to Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore. It was only in 1989 did Vietnam Airlines become an established state-owned enterprise, and later the national flag carrier in 1993 as it is to this day.
It is an airline that prides itself as a modern carrier committed to innovation and development; for instance in 2015, they became ‘‘the first airline in the world to operate both [the] next-generation aircraft Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus A350-900 XWB at the same time.’’ On top of this they have won numerous awards including “Asia Pacific Airline of the Year” by CAPA in 2017 and several awards from World Travel Awards including “World’s Leading Airline – Premium Economy Class” and “World’s Leading Cultural Airline” (2017, 2018); Asia’s Leading Airline – Economy Class and Asia’s Leading Cultural Airline (2016).
But it is also an airline that stays true to Vietnamese culture: as seen in their choice of Asian inspired meals, their Áo Dài uniform worn by air hostesses (attire that symbolises beauty and femininity), and a webpage dedicated to tales of culture and history.
Birthday Bonus
Birthdays would not be birthdays without presents or treats and Vietnam Airlines does not fail us. Last year for their 25th Birthday celebration, Vietnam Airlines offered a 25% discount off all domestic flights and selected international flights for tickets purchased between 25 May 2020 – 31 May 2020.
This year Vietnam Airlines have not repeated this offer, but its child airline, Pacific Airlines has offered a similar promotional discount of 15% off tickets purchased between a similar date that is 25 May 2021 -31 May 2021, the departure times starting from 25 May – 31 December this year.
Despite other leading Asian airlines being older and more experienced than them, for instance Cathay Pacific being 74 and Singapore Airlines being 49, Vietnam Airlines has done very well to achieve so many accolades over the last 26 years – an achievement that is definitely worth celebrating.
Featured image: | © Vietnam Airlines
Which Vietnam Airline achievement is the most impressive? Let us know below.