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Vietnam Helicopter Corporation
Vietnam Service Flight Corporation (SFC)

Vietnam Helicopter Corporation (VNH) is one of the leading helicopter operators in Southeast Asia. In 2010, Service Flight Corporation of Vietnam was renamed to Vietnam Helicopter Corporation. In its initial stage the service helicopter flight sector had only some old MI-8 planes manufactured in Russia and UH-1A planes of the US left after the war. With squads of experienced pilots and technical staff the company owns different kinds of modern specialized aircraft, such as MI-17 and MI-172 of Russia, Super Puma L2 of France and EC-155, EC-225 and EC-155B1 of the EU.

As a prestigious air service provider in Vietnam, the corporation also expanded its services to other countries in the region in recent years. Its services are always highly appreciated by customers and the name of SFC.VN has flown very far. In addition to flight service, the corporation is also the founding shareholder of the Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MB), Mbland Real Estate Joint Stock Company, Vietnam Flight Company and a controlling shareholder in Bien Hoa Joint Venture Helicopter Repairing Company (BHC) and other companies.

Vietnam Helicopter Corporation through its subsidiaries including Southern Vietnam Helicopter Company (VNH South), Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company (VNH North), VNH Training Center (VNH Training), Helicopter Technical Services JSC (Helitechco) and Hai Au Investment and Trading JSC (Haiau TIC) also leases its aircraft and provides crews to other rotor wing operators in countries such as Norway, India, Malaysia and other countries in South east Asia and offers training programs for pilots and engineers employed by third party rotor wing operators. Through its subsidiaries, it also provides full management services for private helicopter operators. Its engineering companies offer third party repair and overhaul as well as supply of rotor wing parts. Fuel trading and real estate development completes the portfolio of its subsidiary companies.

Flights for oil and gas offshore operations led to the formation of the corporation. In 1979, for the first time, a crew squad of the Vietnam Air Force was assigned to carry officials of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (currently Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group -PetroVietnam) and officials of related agencies to Dan Queen Ship to finalise procedures to make the first drill on the Vietnamese continental shelf. The flight of UH-1, No. 779 on 31 January 1979 was very successful, proving the talent and development potentiality of the service flight industry in Vietnam.

Since the development of the Vietnamese oil and gas sector the demand for service flights to transport people and equipment offshore has been on the rise. The Helicopter Service Company of Vietnam was established on April 20th 1979.

From the first crew in 1979, the first fleet for oil production and exploration services was officially established in 1983. Oil and gas services began on September 13th 1983 under the auspices of the Vietnam Air force. To serve the growing demand of the Vietnamese oil and gas industry, the Helicopter Company was founded in 1984 and on March 11th 1985, HELICOP VIETNAM was established. In 1989, Service Flight Corporation of Vietnam was established by the Government of Vietnam with Northern Service Flight Company and Southern Service Flight Company as its subsidiaries. During 30 years, the corporation provided more than 160,000 hours of offshore flight service for oil and gas industry with absolute safety.

In 1996, the Corporation was re-established comprising 6 subsidiaries: Northern Service Flight Company; Southern Service Flight Company; Aviation Construction Company - ACC; Airport Design And Construction Consultancy Company – ADCC; 244 Construction Enterprise; Hai Au Enterprise. These created a leading supplier of oil and gas industry service flights in Asia. Since 2000, SFC.VN has expanded its service flight offshore operations to Norway, India, Malaysia, East Timor and other nations. The international presence of a service provider in Vietnam, especially grey matter sectors like flight service, reaffirms the prestige and trademark of SFC.VN in particular and the Vietnamese aviation industry in general in the eyes of the international community.

During 20 years of construction and development, Service Flight Corporation of Vietnam [SFC.VN] made high and sustainable growth rates. During its first years, the company’s revenues were only tens of billions of Vietnamese dong. In 1998, SFC.VN totally controlled the domestic helicopter flight service market. The leadership in the domestic market made a turning point in the corporation’s development. Since 2003, SFC.VN has always been a Grade-A company and one of the best-performing military-run businesses.

In 2007, Service Flight Corporation of Vietnam had 3 subsidiaries: Northern Service Flight Company; Southern Service Flight Company; Hai Au Company; As well as one joint-venture company – Bien Hoa Helicopters Maintenance and Repair Company. The average individual productivity was nearly VND2 billion a year in 2007 and 2008.

Along with service flights for oil and gas offshore operations, since 1990, SFC.VN started flight service for the MIA (missing in action) program. MIA activities mainly take place in far-lying mountainous and isolated areas. By 2009 the corporation had conducted 97 flights with dozens of thousands of flights in Vietnam. The United States appreciated the close cooperation and wholehearted, efficient service and flight skill of SFC.VN in the search program.

In addition to its main services, SFC.VN also expanded helicopter flight services for other economic sectors like tourism flight, medical evacuation, filming and photographing flight, geological survey flight, forest seed-sowing flight and flights for sport and cultural events. SFC.VN also actively carried out search and rescue flights, natural calamity relief flights, economic development survey flights in mountainous and island regions. At the same time, SFC.VN also ensures the safety for VIP flights and performs national defence and security tasks.

Southern Service Flight Company is one of the leading subsidiary of Viet Nam Service Flight Corporation of the Arm of Aviation Defense-Air Force. It was found on 11 March 1985 with the early name of the Petroleum Helicopter Company. Being an economic military enterprise, at such the foundation, the Party committee and Doctorate have grasped thoroughly their assigned duty, building successfully a powerful management and conduction collective in political as well as a skilled profession, being excellent both in managing and doing business and performing an adequate capacity and level to the requirements of national defense mission. The company’s annual revenue in 2007 reached more than 500 billion VND, the profit is over 100 billion VND with more than 7,000 flight hours. The company is in charge of many aviation services such as: flights for petroleum exploration and exploitation; rescue and emergency flighs; commodity carriage; tourist flights; filming flights, parachuting flights.

On July 22, 2009 Eurocopter announced the delivery of the first EC225 to Southern Service Flight Company (SSFC) based in Vung Tau City, Vietnam. Captain Le Trong Dong, Operations Director from SSFC, said at this occasion, “We are very proud to receive this new EC225 helicopter. A second EC225 is due to arrive before the end of the year. The two new EC225 helicopters will reinforce our existing helicopter fleet and allow us to intensify our activity in the booming oil and gas market in Vietnam.” Eurocopter has been present in the country since 1985. The delivery of the EC225 to SSFC this year increased SSFC’s fleet to 8. With the introduction of the long-range EC225, SSFC is able to provide its customers with better services in terms of comfort, vibration, speed and payload. As of 2010 Southern Service Flight Company had a fleet primarily composed of Eurocopter helicopters, including 4 Super Puma AS332 L2s, 2 EC155 Bs and 2 EC225s.

Although SFC VN’s other subsidiary, Northern Service Flight Company (NSFC), only operated Russian helicopters, by 2009 this was a thing of the past. NSFC signed a contract with Eurocopter in 2007 for two EC155 B1s to be delivered in 2009 and 2010. The company was looking to modernize its fleet to make the most of the opportunities offered by the oil & gas sector in northern Vietnam. NSFC took delivery of its first EC155B1 helicopter at the Paris Airshow in June 2009. The second EC155 B1 was delivered in 2010 for SAR missions.

The use of helicopters will add a new service in tourism and also attract high income earners and foreign holidaymakers, so as to better exploit the country's tourism potential and diversify tourism products to meet a growing demand. The theory was drawn out at a meeting held in June 2013 by the Northern Service Flight Company of Viet Nam Helicopter Corporation under the Ministry of National Defense.

The efforts and contributions of SFC.VN have been recognised by the Party, the State and the Army. The corporation and its member units have been presented many awards, like the third-class War Medal in 1999, the Labor hero in the renovation process title for Southern Service Flight Company in 2000, the first-class Feat of Arms Medal for Northern Service Flight Company in 1999, the first-class Labor Medal for Southern Service Flight Company in 2005, the second-class Labor Medal for Northern Service Flight Company in 1996 and a lot of other titles. Especially, in November 2009, SFC.VN was honorably offered the Labor Hero title.