Vietnam Takes Delivery of Boeing Plane



HANOI, Vietnam - Vietnam Airlines on Sunday took delivery of a Boeing 777-200ER flown in from Seattle, the last of four planes it bought three years ago following a landmark U.S.-Vietnam trade agreement.
The multimillion-dollar aircraft deal - estimated to be worth about $700 million - was the first commercial agreement signed between the two countries after the 2001 trade deal. The United States is now Vietnam's largest trading partner.

"The Boeing purchases played a very important role in pushing forward the U.S-Vietnam trade relationship," said Nguyen Xuan Hien, president and CEO of Vietnam Airlines, the country's national carrier.

Washington state Gov. Gary Locke arrived in Ho Chi Minh City over the weekend, heading up a trade delegation exploring business opportunities in Vietnam.

During a small ceremony marking the Boeing deal at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport, Hien greeted a small delegation from the company's operations in Washington state who had arrived with the plane. Vietnam's national carrier has already agreed to lease two more long-range Boeing 777s this year.

Vietnam Airlines has been steadily expanding its fleet of aircraft to meet growing demand, said Hien. By the end of 2005, Vietnam Airlines will own or lease 40 aircraft in its fleet, which also includes ATR, Fokker, and Airbus aircraft.

Hien said Vietnam Airlines has also signed a letter of intent to purchase Boeing's new 7E7 Dreamliner, which is expected to be rolled out in 2008.


And the world moves on.

JonR

Progress.

The Vietnamese seem to be getting over the war, too bad we cannot.


Funny how we always seem to get along better with countries after bomb the crap out of them… I wonder of that would work on France!

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I personally find it astonishing that we trade with people who abused our POW's, but it's STILL a federal case if you import Cuban cigars! WTF!!!!

Hey guys I'm a Vietnamese American. I really hate the communism in the country and what it stands for but I'm happy that Vietnam is finally starting to economically stabalize. I have relatives that are part of the trade negotiations. This means a lot of jobs for regular people in a country where communism really doesn't work. I hope one day the leaders of that country see that and US helps them make the trasition to a democracy.
P.S. CW...I completly agree. I wish we didn't have to buy ISOM's at 2nd mortgage prices.

Keep 'em Smoking

I heard Jane Fonda was reported seen shooting at one of the new Boeing 777's with an anti-aircraft gun. Is this true???

Along the theme of the thread, GW wants to lift the sanctions against Libya too.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=544&ncid=544&e=1&u=/ap/20040920/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_libya_6