Active from 1951 to 1975, Air Viet Nam (Air VN) (
Vietnamese: Hãng Hàng không Việt Nam) was
South Vietnam's first commercial air carrier, headquartered in
District 1,
Saigon.[1] Established under a decree by Chief of State
Bảo Đại, the airline flew over two million passengers, throughout the
Vietnam War, and until its collapse due to the
Fall of Saigon.
History
Air Viet Nam plane and passengers, 1961Douglas C-54D in 1975Caravelle in 1962Boeing 727-100 in 1971Boeing 707-300 in 1974
Air Viet Nam's initial fleet consisted of five
Cessna 170s,
Douglas DC-3s and
Douglas DC-4s with the airline flying mainly between cities and towns throughout
Vietnam. By 1975, Air Viet Nam was using a fleet of Boeing aircraft, some leased from
Pan Am and
China Airlines consisting of a number of
Boeing 707s 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), a subsidiary airline of
Continental Airlines set up to provide operations and airlift support in
Southeast Asia, 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 in
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 emblem of Air Viet Nam.
In 1972, Air Vietnam had one B747-200 leased from
Air France and another B747-100 leased from
Pan Am both of which were flown back to their owners within a few weeks of the
Fall of Saigon.[citation needed]
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. One
Boeing 707 flew to
Taipei for the use of former President
Nguyen Van Thieu and his wife, and close aides had been flown into exile on a
CIAC-118 transport. Thieu was extended the courtesy once in exile of the Boeing jet as he went from first Taiwan, then the
United Kingdom, before finally flying onto the
United States of America where it was returned to
Pan Am from which it had been leased.[2] An Air Vietnam aircraft abandoned at the
Songshan Airport was later handed over to a Taiwanese airline.[3]
One Air Vietnam
Boeing 727 was returned to Vietnam from
Hong Kong in early June 1975, by lead pilot Huynh Minh Boong, who had married
GeneralPham Hung's sister.
CaptainHuynh Minh Boong with over 10,000 flight hours, was a pilot on
Vietnam Airlines overseas flights due to his
IATA credentials, then in early 1980 he was appointed as head of training of Vietnam Airlines, now retired and lives in
Ho Chi Minh City.
The only commercial jet airplanes transferred from Air Vietnam to Vietnam Airlines are: one
Boeing 707 and one
Boeing 727-100.
Codeshare partners
According to the timetable published in 1969, Air Vietnam codeshared with the following airlines:
Air Viet Nam flight crews were composed of
civilians with a mixture of ex-military
pilots, (mostly former
Republic of 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 Nhứt International Airport in
Saigon and kept its distance from the regular Air Viet Nam and CASI crews.
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 an embossed dragon emblem. Uniforms consisted of the traditional áo dài in a variety of colors.
Aircraft livery
Air Vietnam 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 "Hàng Không Việt 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.
Marketing
Advertisements used from the mid-1960s included South Vietnamese
Olympians, such as Thach Thi Ngoc, and flamboyant military officer
Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, whose wife
Madame Nguyễn Cao Kỳ was a flight stewardess before they were married. 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.
Incidents and accidents
16 August 1954
Bristol Freighter 21E F-VNAI crashed on the bank of the Sedone River (a tributary of the
Mekong River) while on approach to
Pakse for an emergency landing following engine failure, killing 47 of 55 on board. The aircraft was flying
Red River refugees from
Hanoi to Saigon.[15][16]
10 November 1962
Douglas C-47B XV-NID crashed into a mountain 19.6 km (12.2 mi) northwest of
Da Nang Airport due to a navigation error in bad weather, killing all 27 on board. The aircraft was operating on a flight route from
Phu Bai Airport to Da Nang Airport.[17]
1962
Douglas C-54B XV-NUA was reportedly written off at an unknown location.[18]
16 September 1965
Douglas C-47A XV-NIC was shot down by Communist ground fire shortly after takeoff and crashed 11 km (6.8 mi) northeast of
Quảng Ngãi, killing all 39 on board; one passenger survived, but died a few hours later.[19]
2 April 1969
Douglas DC-6B XV-NUC was destroyed on the ground at Hue-Citadel Airfield during a Communist attack.[20]
Douglas C-54D XV-NUG collided with
US Air ForceMcDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II67-0393 and crashed into a field near Da Nang, killing 74 of 75 on board and two people working in the field; the Phantom was able to land safely. The C-54 was operating on a flight route from Saigon to
Pleiku Airport to
Da Nang Airport.[22] When the pilot of the Phantom was cleared to land on Runway 17R by ATC, the pilot of the C-54, cleared to land on Runway 17L, thought that the message was addressed to his aircraft and turned right for approach to Runway 17R. This brought the C-54 in the path of the Phantom and the two aircraft collided.
22 December 1969
Douglas DC-6B B-2005 suffered an explosion and hydraulic failure while descending for
Nha Trang Airport. After a low level pass to check the landing gear, a nose-high flapless approach was made. The aircraft touched down, but became airborne again after application of reverse thrust. The throttles were closed and the aircraft landed again, but overran the runway, struck a concrete pylon and caught fire, killing 10 of 77 on board and 24 on the ground.[23] A bomb placed in the front left lavatory detonated during approach, blowing a 1.5 m (4.9 ft) hole in the fuselage and damaging hydraulic lines.
22 July 1970
A 20-year-old
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.[24]
30 September 1970
Douglas DC-3DST-318A B-305 crashed into a hill in the Hai Van Mountains at 970 m (3,180 ft) near
Da Nang while attempting to divert to
Da Nang Airport due to weather conditions at its intended destination of
Phu Bai Airport,
Huế. Three of the 38 people on board were killed.[25]
1 November 1970
Curtiss C-46 B-1543 force-landed on a beach at
Quy Nhơn due to fuel system problems; the aircraft sank in sand and flooded out at high tide. The aircraft was operating on a flight from Saigon to Quang Ngai.[26]
Boeing 727-121C XV-NJC suffered an explosion in the galley at 15,000 ft (4,600 m) 15 minutes after takeoff from Bangkok, injuring two passengers and a stewardess; the aircraft was able to return and land safely at Bangkok. Although it was thought that a bomb exploded, a Royal Thai Air Force investigation concluded that a defective broiler in the galley caused the explosion. Although the aircraft was repaired and returned to service, it was written off following the hijacking and crash of Flight 706 in 1974.[31]
17 November 1973
Douglas C-47B XV-NIE struck a mountain at 400 m (1,300 ft) 20 kilometres (12 mi) NNW of
Quảng Ngãi killing all 27 people on board. The crew, flying VFR in IMC, had gotten lost and flew too low in a mountainous area while attempting to reach Chu Lai, near the crash site. The aircraft was operating a domestic scheduled passenger flight from
Tan Son Nhat International Airport to Quảng Ngãi Airport.[32]
20 February 1974
Douglas C-54A XV-NUM was hijacked en route from Quy Nhơn to Da Nang. The hijacker was a 19-year-old South Vietnamese man demanding to go to Đồng Hới,
North Vietnam. The pilot stated that the aircraft had to stop at Đông Hà to refuel, but flew to
Huế instead. The hijacker realized he had been tricked and detonated explosives in the front part of the aircraft, killing three passengers and injuring several others. The explosion also blew a 2 m × 3 m (6.6 ft × 9.8 ft) hole in the port side of the fuselage and broke three starboard side windows. The aircraft was written off.[33]
15 September 1974
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 the Boeing 727 en route from Da Nang to Saigon, demanding to go to
Hanoi. The pilot explained that it was not possible and needed to stop at
Phan Rang. During the approach, Tan detonated two hand grenades, and the aircraft crashed when it overshot the runway on an attempted landing. All 75 persons on board, including 67 passengers and eight crew members, were killed.
12 March 1975
Douglas C-54D XV-NUJ crashed 16 mi from
Pleiku, killing all 26 on board; the wreckage was not examined due to hostile conditions in the area.[34] The aircraft, operating a flight from Vientiane to Saigon, was probably shot down by a missile.