Ho Chi Minh City tightens UAV controls, designates 63 no-fly zones

The measures are part of a plan issued by the municipal administration to raise public awareness of regulations governing the management and use of UAVs and other aircraft, thereby helping ensure flight safety.

Under the plan, public awareness campaigns will be conducted across all wards, communes, and special zones, with regular activities focusing on the 63 designated no-fly zones, including 59 wards, three communes, and Con Dao Special Zone.

The 59 wards include An Hoi Dong, Binh Hoa, Saigon, Xuan Hoa, Gia Dinh, Go Vap, Phu Nhuan, Tan Binh, Tan Dinh, Tan Son Nhat, Tan Son Hoa, Thu Duc, Lai Thieu, and Di An, among others.

The three communes are Ba Diem, Binh Loi, and Tan Nhut.

The campaigns will target residents living and working in residential areas and high-rise apartment buildings, as well as media and advertising companies, event organizers, photographers, and filmmakers that use UAVs.

UAV retailers, distributors, repair shops, and rental businesses, along with households operating such businesses and clubs or groups using remote-controlled aircraft, will also receive guidance on relevant regulations.

The awareness campaign will cover UAV registration requirements, flight permit procedures, the authorities responsible for issuing permits, penalties for violations, and cases in which equipment may be confiscated.

The city will also publicize no-fly and restricted-flight zones around Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Con Dao Airport, and key sites to help residents and organizations avoid violations.

Ward- and commune-level administrations will work with police to review UAV-related businesses, compile lists, and organize public awareness activities.

Businesses and UAV users will be required to sign commitments to comply with regulations on the sale, rental, and use of the devices.

Local police will coordinate with grassroots security forces to inspect, detect, and handle unauthorized flights within their authority.

The city will also install signs warning against drone flights in no-fly zones in vacant lots and public areas, alongside banners, panels and posters, and broadcast warnings through local public-address systems.

The city's police will oversee implementation of the plan and coordinate with relevant agencies to detect and handle online advertisements for illegally imported UAVs and instructions for unlawfully assembling aircraft.

The tighter controls come amid numerous cases of unauthorized UAV operations in the airspace near Tan Son Nhat International Airport, located in Tan Son Hoa Ward, so far this year.

The latest incident occurred on August 11, when two drones were spotted in the airport area on two separate occasions between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm, forcing the airport to temporarily suspend aircraft arrivals for safety reasons, Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper reported.

According to data from the Tan Son Nhat Approach Control Center, the incidents affected 73 flights.