On April 13, 2025, the government of Vietnam issued Decree No. 89/2025/ND-CP to amend and supplement Decree No. 92/2016/ND-CP dated July 1, 2016, concerning conditional business lines within the civil aviation sector (“Decree 89”). This update was implemented through an expedited procedure with immediate effect and has drawn public attention as it broadens the types of aircraft eligible for import into Vietnam, thereby promising to inject greater diversity into the country’s aviation market.
What has changed?
Decree 89 expands the recognition of aircraft type certificates—documents ensuring that the design of the aircraft, aircraft engine, or propeller meet airworthiness standards—from two to seven foreign aviation authorities. While Vietnam previously only accepted type certificates from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the country now further accepts type certificates issued by five additional foreign aviation authorities:
- National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC)
- Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA)
- Federal Agency for Air Transport of the Russian Federation (Rosaviatsiya)
- U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA)
- Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC)
Additionally, on April 14, 2025, Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction issued Circular No. 03/2025/TT-BXD (“Circular 03”) with immediate effect, amending and supplementing several articles under Circular No. 01/2011/TT-BGTVT previously issued by the Ministry of Transport (which was merged into the Ministry of Construction on March 1, 2025) in 2011 on the promulgation of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations for aircraft and aircraft operations. Echoing Decree 89, Circular 03 allows the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) to issue or recognize Certificates of Airworthiness to aircraft that hold type certificates issued by the aviation authorities of Brazil, Canada, Russia, the United Kingdom, or China, in addition to those issued by the FAA or EASA.
Following the entry into force of Decree 89 and Circular 03, the first aircraft imported and approved for commercial flights under these expanded rules was a Chinese-made aircraft from the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC), holding a type certificate issued by the CAAC.
Why the change?
Decree 89 is expected to boost competition across the region and lower costs for Vietnamese airlines. This significant expansion appears to be driven by two main factors.
- Vietnam has ambitious plans to expand its aviation infrastructure to accommodate rising passenger numbers. Under Vietnam’s near-term master plan for the development of national airports through 2030 and its long-term vision to 2050, the country aims to expand its airport network to 30 airports by 2030 (14 international and 16 domestic), up from the current total of 22. The long-term vision for 2050 includes further upgrades and development to increase annual passenger capacity by more than 80%. By recognizing more aircraft types from additional countries, Vietnam is providing local airlines with greater flexibility and more options when purchasing or leasing aircraft that are safe, cost-effective, and suited to their needs.
- Over the past three years, Vietnam has strengthened relationships with countries such as Brazil, Canada, Russia, the U.K., and China through high-level diplomatic and regulatory cooperation. Vietnam has hosted state-level visits or held meetings with leaders and envoys of these nations, fostering closer ties and paving the way for mutual recognition in civil aviation matters.
What’s next?
Looking ahead, the government of Vietnam is taking further steps to support this growth in air travel. It is in the process of updating Decree No. 68/2015/ND-CP on registration of nationality and rights to aircraft to streamline aircraft registration and align with international standards under the Cape Town Convention and Protocol.
