Air Vietnam

Active from 1951 to 1975, Air Viet Nam (Air VN) ( _vi. Hãng Hàng không Việt Nam) was South Vietnam's first commercial air carrier. Established under Emperor Bảo Đại, the Chief of State of South Vietnam, the airline flew over one million passengers, including during the Vietnam War, before its collapse.

History

Air Viet Nam’s initial fleet consisted of five Cessna 170s, with the airline flying mainly between small towns throughout Vietnam. By 1975, Air Viet Nam started using Douglas DC-3s and Boeing 727s on both regional and international routes.

As passenger traffic increased with the start of the Vietnam War, Air Viet Nam added aircraft, initially Viscounts, DC-3s, and DC-4s. It eventually obtained more modern aircraft, including Boeing 727s, some of which were obtained from Air France and Pan Am. At least one C-46 was leased from China Airlines, and was flown by a Taiwanese crew. That aircraft had a color scheme different from the rest of the Air Viet Nam fleet.

In an unusual joint venture, Air Viet Nam was joined by Continental Air Services (CASI) in the mid-1960s. Under this agreement, CASI would share passengers and cargo routes with Air Viet Nam on certain domestic and international routes. In addition, CASI and Air Viet Nam would share hangars and flight lines. CASI also picked up a portion of aircraft maintenance. Heavy engine overhaul was done in Hong Kong, by China Airlines, and some on Taiwan, by Air Asia (a subsidiary of Air America). CASI paid a portion of its revenues to Air Viet Nam for the routes and privileges. Many CASI aircraft operating from Saigon carried the dragon/flag roundel of Air Viet Nam.

Destinations

According to a timetable published in 1969 Air Vietnam served these cities:

Asia

East Asia

*ROC: Taipei
*JPN: Osaka, Tokyo

Southeast Asia

*CAM: Phnom Penh
*LAO: Vientiane
*THA: Bangkok
*PHI: Manila
*SIN: Singapore
*MYS: Kuala Lumpur

Flight crew

Air Viet Nam flight crews were composed of civilians with a mixture of ex-military pilots, (mostly former Vietnam Air Force), along with a few Americans. However, one American CASI pilot reported that the Taiwanese crew of the leased C-46 always parked its aircraft separately at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in Saigon and kept its distance from the regular Air Viet Nam and CASI crews.

Aircraft design

Air Viet Nam aircraft generally had a single or dual green stripe down the main fuselage. The top fuselage was generally white with a natural metal (silver) lower. The colorful dragon/flag roundel appeared in various sizes, most often on the tail rudder. Sometimes the roundel would appear alone and occasionally with a dual green stripe. The wording “Air Viet Nam” appeared in red/orange lettering above the windows on all large aircraft except the 727s, which were marked “Hang Không Viet Nam”. Exceptions to these schemes included the early Viscount aircraft, which were all white with a green stripe and had the roundel appearing on the front fuselage. The Chinese C-46 aircraft had a blue and red nose-side stripe with the roundel appearing on the rudder.

Advertisements

Advertisements used from the mid-1960s included South Vietnamese Olympians, such as Thach Thi Ngoc, and flamboyant military officer Nguyen Cao Ky. These celebrities promoted the airline's operation of Viscounts on the "Green Dragon Route," alternating flights from Saigon to Siem Reap, Cambodia; Bangkok, Thailand; and Hong Kong. Timetables indicate domestic routes covering destinations as far north as Huế, as far south as Cà Mau, and including almost every major city in between.

Uniforms

Pilots for Air Viet Nam wore a distinctive gold/bronze wing with a center shield containing a colored enamel version of the dragon/flag. It can be presumed that some senior grades of pilot and crew existed, although how these were indicated is not clear.

Stewardesses, or flight attendants, wore a gold or bronze metal wing with embossed/relief dragon/flag roundel. Uniforms consisted of the traditional áo dàis in a variety of colors.

Incidents and Accidents

*15 September 1974: Air Vietnam Flight 706 - Le Duc Tan, a ranger in the South Vietnamese army who had recently been demoted from captain to lieutenant for the theft of two cars in Da Nang, smooth-talked his way past security checkpoints and hijacked a Boeing 727 en route from Da Nang to Saigon, demanding to go to Hanoi. He detonated two hand grenades, and the aircraft crashed at Phan Rang when it overshot the runway on an attempted landing. All 71 persons on board, including 63 passengers and eight crew members, were killed.
*20 February 1974: A Douglas DC-4 was hijacked en route from Da Lat to Da Nang. The hijacker was a 19-year-old South Vietnamese man demanding to go to North Vietnam. When the aircraft landed at Hue, the hijacker realized he had been tricked and detonated a grenade, killing himself and two police officers.
*22 July 1970: A U.S. Army private, George M. Hardin, hijacked a DC-4 en route from Pleiku to Saigon. Hardin allowed the 65 passengers aboard to disembark from the plane before moving to the cockpit and threatening the pilot with a small knife. He was detained in Saigon after attempting to force the pilot, Floyd R. Derieux, to take him to Hong Kong, but the pilot told him the DC-4 could not carry enough fuel to make the trip. There were no fatalities.

Fall of Saigon

During the Fall of Saigon and the impending invasion of North Vietnam into South Vietnam, Air Viet Nam decided to assist and help all South Vietnamese citizens to escape to neighboring countries. Many of their pilots and crew worked long hours ferrying South Vietnamese citizens to Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, and other Southeast Asian countries to escape the invading North Vietnamese army.

External links

* [http://www.air-america.net/airviet.htm Photos of Air Viet Nam]
* [http://www.vnaf.net/photos/air_vietnam/air_vietnam.html Photos of Air Viet Nam planes]
* [http://www.vietnamholidaytravel.com/vietnam_travel_guide/airlines_to_vietnam.htm List all the airlines flying to & from Vietnam today]