Vietnam Helicopters (VNH), formally the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation (VNH CorporVHC; Vietnamese: Tổng công ty Trực thăng Việt Nam - Công ty TNHH, lit. 'Vietnam Helicopter Corporation - LLC'), also known by its military designation Corps 18 (Vietnamese: Binh đoàn 18), is a transportation business owned by the Vietnam Ministry of National Defense. It operates helicopters to transport cargo, train pilots and export/import devices in the aviation industry as well as providing aircraft maintenance while offering commercial services such as tourist transportation.[1] Being a military-associated organization, VNH also operates state-sponsored flights serving civil defense purposes including medical evacuation and search-rescue missions.[2]
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| Founded | April 20th, 1979 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | January 31st, 1989 | ||||||
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| Destinations | More than 20 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Hanoi | ||||||
| Website | http://www.vnh.com.vn/ | ||||||
The company was founded on April 20, 1979. The first flight squad of the Vietnam Air Force for oil and gas services was set up on September 13, 1983. In March 1985, Helicopter Vietnam was established. In 1989, the Service Flight Corporation of Vietnam was established by the Vietnamese Government with Northern Service Flight Company and Southern Service Flight Company as subsidiaries.
In 2007, the Service Flight Corporation of Vietnam expanded with a new subsidiary, Hai Au Company, in addition to Northern Service Flight Company as well as Southern Service Flight Company. It has one joint venture, Bien Hoa Helicopters, a maintenance and repair company. In 2010, Service Flight Corporation of Vietnam was renamed the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation.
VNH operates a fleet of 28 aircraft with the ability to carry from 4 to 24 passengers .
VNH is the first company in Vietnam to provide aviation transport for employees in the oil and gas industry in Vietnam. Over three decades, VNH has provided aviation transport services for more than 30 companies, including Vietsovpetro, Premier Oil, BHP, Petronas, BP and Chevron.
VNH flies 50+ routes to destinations such as Hạ Long, Cat Bi, Móng Cái, Lào Cai, Sa Pa, Hòa Bình, Thanh Hóa, Vinh, Huế, Da Nang, Vũng Tàu, Côn Đảo, Cà Mau and Phú Quốc.
VNH Training Center is Ministry of Defense-certified as a training center. It trains pilots, ground services staff, aviation engineering staff, and pilots on its modern group of aircraft including the EC225, Super Puma AS-322 L2, EC155 B1, Mi-172, and the Mi-17-1V.The VNH Training Center has trained its own staff along with the Vietnam People's Air Force, and the Vietnam People's Navy. Trainers themselves were trained by helicopter companies in Hong Kong and Malaysia.
The MIA program started as flights to search for missing Americans following the Vietnam War. The MIA program was established between the United States and the VNH on 18 April 1990. VNH has flown more than 100 searches throughout Vietnam, including many over dangerous regions and in hazardous weather conditions. These actions contributed to the normalization of United States–Vietnam relations.
The aeronautical engineering centers of VNH: Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company, Southern Service Flight Company and Helicopter Technical Services Corporation (Helitechco) are licensed by the AMO aircraft maintenance organization of Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam. Helitechco is the only engineering center in Asia that has been ratified by the MIL Institute to maintain Russian-made Mi-type aircraft. More than 200 CAAV certified-staff are undergoing training at universities and colleges in domestic and international aviation. Engineers and technical staff attend courses in the operation and maintenance for helicopters in Russia and France as well as planes including the EC225, Super Puma AS-322 L2, EC155 B1, Mi-172 and Mi-17-1V. Helitechco and aeronautical engineering centers of VNH can: