By Phuong Nguyen and Francesco Guarascio
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnamese airline VietJet is set to take delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft more than nine years after placing an order, company and state documents show, as Hanoi continues talks with the U.S. on tariffs.
The move comes after repeated pledges from Vietnamese authorities and the budget airline about the purchase of Boeing planes, which multiple U.S. and Vietnamese officials in recent months described as part of Vietnam’s strategy to cut its large trade surplus with Washington and reduce U.S. tariffs on its goods.
The handover ceremony is scheduled to take place at a Boeing factory in Seattle on Sunday and to include the participation of Vietnam’s president Luong Cuong, who will speak two days later at the U.N. General Assembly in New York alongside multiple world leaders, according to a preliminary schedule seen by Reuters.
VietJet, Vietnam’s presidential office and its foreign affairs ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Boeing referred questions on the matter to VietJet.
VietJet, which is Vietnam’s largest private airline, signed an initial agreement with the U.S. planemaker in May 2016 for the delivery of 100 737 MAX jets from 2019 to 2023.
It doubled its purchasing pledge in July 2018, shortly before two deadly 737 MAX crashes and the pandemic led many airlines to delay deliveries.
VietJet announced in September 2023 its Thai subsidiary would take delivery of the first 12 planes within a few months.
But no planes have been delivered so far. If the preliminary agenda is confirmed, the 737 MAX handed over on Sunday would be the first for VietJet, whose fleet is entirely made of Airbus planes, apart from a recent short-term lease of two Chinese-made COMAC regional jets.
A second Boeing plane could be handed over in October, said a person with direct knowledge of the matter who was not authorised to speak publicly.
PLANE DEALS DISCUSSED AMID TRADE TALKS WITH U.S.
Amid Vietnam’s push to avoid U.S. tariffs, VietJet in January announced agreements worth nearly $50 billion with major U.S. corporations, including Boeing, without disclosing details.
In August, the Trump administration imposed a 20% tariff on Vietnamese goods, in a move that Hanoi has never acknowledged as a bilateral deal and that officials said left Vietnam’s leaders disappointed, despite the duty being much lower than the 46% rate threatened by the White House in April.
Flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has also expressed interest in acquiring more Boeing jets. Airbus supplies 86% of the planes operated by Vietnamese airlines.
Vietnam’s president is set to attend a reception hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump in New York on September 23 on occasion of the U.N. assembly, according to Cuong’s agenda, which includes multiple bilateral meetings with world leaders, but not with Trump.
(Reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Additional reporting and writing by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Jamie Freed)
