VIETNAM AIRLINES BEGINS TO EMERGE AS KEY REGIONAL PLAYER.

AsiaPulse News, August, 2003

HANOI, Aug 28 Asia Pulse - Fuelled by the delivery of new long-haul aircraft and an ambitious route expansion programme, Vietnam Airlines has signalled its intent to become a major player in Asia's competitive aviation market.

The national flag carrier's roots date back to 1956, but it was not until the late 1980s when Vietnam committed itself to economic reforms, that it began to move away from its reputation as a charmless, fear-inducing cattle carrier.

"During the 1960s and 1970s it was a typical airline using old Russian aircraft. It was badly managed and had a classic bureaucratic set-up," said Tom Ballantyne of Orient Aviation, the industry's regional magazine.

Today, however, the carrier, spurred on by an astute management team, has forced...