Vietnam’s Vietravel Airlines signs deal to buy 50 Airbus aircraft

The agreement was signed in France on September 10.

According to Vietravel Airlines, a member of T&T Group, the A321 aircraft are expected to include A321neo and A321XLR variants.

The carrier said its decision to operate both the A220 and A321 families is aimed at supporting its medium- and long-term network development plans.

Vietravel Airlines plans to use the A220 on new routes, including markets that do not yet have regular nonstop services or where demand is not sufficient to support larger aircraft.

With its smaller capacity, the A220 can serve routes with relatively low demand, while the A321 is better suited to routes with higher demand and longer international sectors.

The A220 has a 2-3 seating configuration, wider seats, large windows and spacious overhead storage compartments. Depending on the variant, it has a range of around 6,300-6,700km, allowing the airline to establish nonstop connections to new destinations, shorten travel times and reduce the need for connecting flights.

More broadly, developing new air links will improve connectivity between markets, shorten travel times and facilitate the movement of passengers and cargo.

The new fleet is expected not only to improve operational efficiency but also to strengthen connectivity, trade, tourism and investment, contributing to socioeconomic development in destinations served by the airline.

The A321neo can accommodate up to around 240 seats, depending on configuration, and has a maximum range of about 7,400km. The A321XLR has a range of around 8,700 km.

The A321 family is suited to high-demand routes and will give Vietravel Airlines greater room to develop longer international services.

With the planned fleet, Vietravel Airlines aims to gradually expand its international network from Asia to South Asia, Central Asia and some Middle Eastern markets, in line with its fleet capabilities and strategy for developing new connections.

The planned addition of 50 Airbus aircraft is the latest step in Vietravel Airlines' transformation since it joined the T&T Group ecosystem in late 2024.

After adding its first Airbus A321 in June 2025, the airline has been developing a long-term fleet plan while expanding its network and increasing its operational capacity.

Vietravel Airlines currently operates domestic routes linking major economic and tourism centers while gradually implementing its international expansion strategy, with regular services to Bangkok, Thailand, and Shenzhen, China.

Along with plans to add more aircraft in the second half of 2026, the airline expects to increase its operations to around 80-90 flights per day and add more domestic and international destinations.

VNVC, Sanofi to produce first 3 next-generation vaccines in SE Asia

Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC) and French pharmaceutical group Sanofi signed a joint statement to prioritize the production of three key next-generation vaccines in Vietnam, as construction of a vaccine and biologics plant in Tay Ninh Province, southern Vietnam, is progressing toward production in 2028 and commercialization in 2029.

The three vaccines are a six-in-one vaccine containing an acellular pertussis component, a seasonal influenza vaccine and a meningococcal vaccine.

The vaccines are essential products that are in high demand in Vietnam and help prevent serious diseases that can pose risks of transmission and death across various age groups, from young children and adolescents to adults and older people.

The joint statement was signed on September 10 on the sidelines of the Vietnam-France Leaders Forum, where the two companies reported progress on their cooperation to produce next-generation vaccines in Southeast Asia.

At the forum, Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron met with leading businesses from the two countries in key sectors, including healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

Ngo Chi Dung, chairman and CEO of VNVC, said VNVC and Sanofi had reached an agreement to produce next-generation vaccines at the VNVC Vaccine and Biologics Plant, making Vietnam the first country in Southeast Asia capable of producing these vaccines domestically.

Under the plan, construction of the plant will be completed in 2027, production will begin in 2028 and commercial production is expected to start in 2029.

The facility aims to supply tens of millions of vaccine doses annually for Vietnam, with the longer-term goal of serving the region and joining global supply chains.

Stephen Alix, Sanofi's international market director for vaccines, said through the project, Sanofi hopes to make a practical contribution to Vietnam’s goals and help build an increasingly modern biotechnology ecosystem in the country.

The cooperation between Sanofi and VNVC marks another milestone in the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and France in healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

Over the years, VNVC and Sanofi have worked together to introduce and provide various next-generation biological products and vaccines in Vietnam, including six-in-one vaccines, monoclonal antibodies for RSV prevention, next-generation ACYW-TT meningococcal vaccines, influenza vaccines and four-in-one vaccines against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and polio.

The partnership entered a new phase in October 2024, when VNVC and Sanofi signed an agreement on vaccine manufacturing technology transfer.

In May 2025, VNVC broke ground on its Vaccine and Biologics Plant, in an event attended by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The VNVC Vaccine and Biologics Plant in Tay Ninh has an initial investment of more than VND2.5 trillion (US$95 million), covers more than 26,000 square meters and has a designed capacity of around 120 million vaccine doses per year.

The facility is being developed to meet international standards and to build capacity in research, technology transfer, manufacturing and testing of high-tech vaccines and biological products in Vietnam.

Alongside Sanofi, VNVC has expanded cooperation with international pharmaceutical companies, organizations and research institutes in vaccines, biological products and biotechnology, including U.S.-based Pfizer, UK-based GSK, the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, and Russia-based Binnopharm and Medsintez.

The partnerships focus on research, technology transfer, workforce training, sharing manufacturing expertise and gradually building capacity in new vaccine and biological-product technologies.

Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived in Paris early in the morning of September 10 (local time), beginning an official visit to France and attendance at the International Space Summit through September 12 at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.