Vietnam, US renew bilateral air transport accord

Vietnam and the US have agreed to extend their Bilateral Air Transport Agreement, which was inked on December 14, 2003 and took effect within five years since March 18, 2004, to March 31, 2012.
This was part of an Agreement on Amendments and Supplements to the Vietnam-US Bilateral Air Transport Agreement, which was signed in Hanoi on May 18 by Minister of Transport and Communications Ho Nghia Dung and US Ambassador to Vietnam Michael W. Michalak.
The amended agreement also loosens up existing regulations on air transport to allow the two countries’ airlines to boost their operation, especially in cargo transport.
Currently, two US carriers, United Airlines (UA) and Northwest Airlines (NW) are providing direct services on the US-Vietnam route.
UA has launched flights between San Francisco and Ho Chi Minh City via Hong Kong since December 2004 while NW has operated flights between Los Angeles and Ho Chi Minh City via Tokyo, Japan, since June 2009.
FedEx cargo carrier is also running flights between the US and Vietnam.
Other Vietnamese and US airlines such as Vietnam Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Airlines are providing indirect services between the two countries through code-sharing contracts with carriers of third countries and territories, including Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan and France.
Vietnam Airlines has been preparing for a direct service to the US.