VietNamNet Bridge – On Thursday morning, the first commercial seaplanes in Vietnam landed at Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport and were greeted by a water spraying ritual for good luck.

They are two of three seaplanes branded Cessna Grand Caravan EX ordered by from the US-based Cessna seaplane manufacturer. This is the latest generation seaplane of American seaplane, with two seats for pilots and 12 seats for passengers. They can fly at an altitude of 150-3,000 meters over sea.

At a cost of nearly VND100 billion ($5 million), the seaplanes will be used by the Hai Au Airlines to serve tourists, with three service packages: short-distance flights, sea and island tours, and charter flights on demand.

The seaplanes will have foreign pilots from New Zealand and Australia. Earlier, Vietnamese vice pilots had completed a training course in Australia. Passengers will have direct contacts with the crew, which is different from all other flights.

Mr. Luong Hoai Nam, CEO of the Hai Au Aviation Joint Stock Company, said the first ever seaplane services in Vietnam will give visitors a unique experience. The feeling of taking off and landing on the water will be very different.

 The seaplanes were greeted by a water spraying ritual for good luck.

Hai Au is the first airline in Vietnam offering the seaplane tour services in Vietnam. The services will be first available in Ha Long Bay (Quang Ninh) and then in Nha Trang, Mui Ne and the Mekong delta before expanding to neighboring countries such as Laos and Cambodia.

 Dinh Viet Thang, Deputy Director of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam, said that the potential for seaplane services is great in Vietnam, because the country has a long coastline.

"However, this is not a service for public customers. Given the expensive cost, the target users are high-end and foreign tourists," said Thang.

The fare for one-way flight from Hanoi to Halong is $250/person, with the travel time of only 30 minutes. In addition, Hai Au also offers scenic flight packages for VND5 million ($250) for the 25-minute scenic flight and VND7 million ($350) for a 40-minute scenic flight.

"The first flight will take place in September and it has been fully booked," said Luong Hoai Nam.

Na Son