Fly in Vietnam

[Saadman1]

Hello guys!

I'm recently flying to Vietnam for a week and am planning to take my Mavic Air there. I plan to visit Hanoi, Halong Bay and Sapa. I intend to casually fly and take some footage for my personal use.

Who can tell me if the condition for flying drones is favorable in Vietnam or not. Do I need to take the permit? Are the cops very strict about drones? Will I face problems at the Hanoi airport?

Do let me know if you can. Thanks in advance.

 

[Gecko10]

Have you contacted their embassy for help? I would start there.

 

[Clipper707]

Technically, you need a certificate from the Vietnamese version of the FAA. I don't have this certificate and heard the agency is non-responsive.

I've been flying Phantoms and my Mavic over Vietnam numerous trips since 2014. I fly into Vietnam 2 or 3 times a year. With a few exceptions, I've found Vietnam to be a very permissive place to fly. My experience over the past 4 years has been mostly positive, but taking your quad to Vietnam is not without risk.



Airports
I have entered Vietnam through Hanoi and Saigon's international airports numerous times and never had a problem. Most times, my backpack was x-rayed at customs after baggage claim. Nowadays, the Vietnamese customs officers don't even blink so I'm not sure they notice or care.

NOTE: I've read about folks flying into Da Nang on international flights and having their drones confiscated. I once flew domestically from Hanoi to Da Nang and numerous other domestic flights, and had no problems. On my flight from HAN to DAD, I went through security and one of the security officers at the Hanoi airport opened my backpack and counted my five Phantom batteries, but that's the closest I've come to being heavily scrutinized at a Vietnamese airport.

Hanoi
Hoan Kiem is a No Fly Zone and this will show up on the DJI Go apps. You can walk halfway across Long Bien Bridge and descend down stairs to an island in the middle of the Red River and launch from there, but both my P3 and my MPP hit the electronic fence when I approached Hoan Kiem. There is heavy police and military presence, overt and undercover, at Hoan Kiem Lake; I've never tried to fly there.

I was able to fly the Lotte Tower with my P3, but I've never tried to launch my MPP anywhere else in Hanoi.



Halong Bay
I assume you're going on one of the overnight cruises and I have two recommendations.

1. Two nights are better than one. Your time on the bay will be busy. You'll likely be part of a tour package that has a busy schedule and you're going to want to fly as often as possible. Even on my first trip to HLB, I wish I'd taken the 2-night package and that was before drones. I flew my P3 when everyone else was paddling the kayaks around the boat.
2. Select a small boat. There are two types of boats on Halong Bay. Some of them are huge, carrying up to 250 passengers. Both of my visits (2012 and 2016) to Halong Bay were on Phoenix Cruise boats, carrying about 30 passengers. Aside from the overall experience of a being on smaller boat, I felt the smaller boats would be more permissive about launches from the deck.

Keep your fingers crossed for good weather, too. Halong Bay is beautiful in the fog, but your videos will be better if it's sunny. Your boat will surely have an excursion to Titop Island for an hour or two. Take your Mavic with you and hike to the top. I did a launch from there near the pagoda at the summit.

Sapa
I have not been to Sapa. I opted for the waterfalls at Ban Gioc (on the Chinese border) instead. I wanted to be the first kid on my block to fly over a border and penetrate another country's airspace.

Mitigating risk
Realize flying in Vietnam, or any other country requiring certification, isn't without risk. There's a massive statue they call Lady Buddha in Da Nang. She is taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York City. I asked the security police there if I could fly my P3. "Sure! Nobody cares," was the reply I got. I opened my backpack to show them my drone. Yes, go ahead. No problem. Within a few minutes, I was buzzing around her face like an irritating mosquito and he was right. Nobody cared.

My mistake is I took this "nobody cares" attitude and applied it to all of Vietnam. On my next trip I was in Vung Tau flying from the promenade at the beach. I went back the next day and launched again. Within minutes, I was surrounded by 6 Vietnamese Army soldiers. I was compelled to recover the drone and taken to an Army Station in the city. I was treated professionally and courteously, but they confiscated my drone for 2 weeks while they "investigated."

Some tips:

• Be tactical and stealthy. Don't launch near crowds; they will gather around you. The soldiers at Vung Tau were tipped off by a guy at the beach.
• Range is your friend. Example: if you want to fly over the Imperial Citadel at Hue, launch from at least a mile away and across the river.
• Get your footage and go. As a rule, I don't do more than two flights from the same location. Have your backpack or case be the type where you can quickly shove your gear in and go, if necessary. Sort out your kit later.
• Bribe money - I always keep a few $100 bills handy just in case. I've never resorted to using them.
• Find a pretty girlfriend who works for a company that does a lot of business with the Vietnamese military. I would not have gotten my Phantom back without her and her negotiating skills.

Have fun! Vietnam is a beautiful country and very drone-worthy and drone-friendly. I'm heading back there on Friday. Maybe I'll see you in Hanoi.

 

[Saadman1]

Technically, you need a certificate from the Vietnamese version of the FAA. I don't have this certificate and heard the agency is non-responsive.

I've been flying Phantoms and my Mavic over Vietnam numerous trips since 2014. I fly into Vietnam 2 or 3 times a year. With a few exceptions, I've found Vietnam to be a very permissive place to fly. My experience over the past 4 years has been mostly positive, but taking your quad to Vietnam is not without risk.

View attachment 45932

Airports
I have entered Vietnam through Hanoi and Saigon's international airports numerous times and never had a problem. Most times, my backpack was x-rayed at customs after baggage claim. Nowadays, the Vietnamese customs officers don't even blink so I'm not sure they notice or care.

NOTE: I've read about folks flying into Da Nang on international flights and having their drones confiscated. I once flew domestically from Hanoi to Da Nang and numerous other domestic flights, and had no problems. On my flight from HAN to DAD, I went through security and one of the security officers at the Hanoi airport opened my backpack and counted my five Phantom batteries, but that's the closest I've come to being heavily scrutinized at a Vietnamese airport.

Hanoi
Hoan Kiem is a No Fly Zone and this will show up on the DJI Go apps. You can walk halfway across Long Bien Bridge and descend down stairs to an island in the middle of the Red River and launch from there, but both my P3 and my MPP hit the electronic fence when I approached Hoan Kiem. There is heavy police and military presence, overt and undercover, at Hoan Kiem Lake; I've never tried to fly there.

I was able to fly the Lotte Tower with my P3, but I've never tried to launch my MPP anywhere else in Hanoi.

View attachment 45926

Halong Bay
I assume you're going on one of the overnight cruises and I have two recommendations.

1. Two nights are better than one. Your time on the bay will be busy. You'll likely be part of a tour package that has a busy schedule and you're going to want to fly as often as possible. Even on my first trip to HLB, I wish I'd taken the 2-night package and that was before drones. I flew my P3 when everyone else was paddling the kayaks around the boat.
2. Select a small boat. There are two types of boats on Halong Bay. Some of them are huge, carrying up to 250 passengers. Both of my visits (2012 and 2016) to Halong Bay were on Phoenix Cruise boats, carrying about 30 passengers. Aside from the overall experience of a being on smaller boat, I felt the smaller boats would be more permissive about launches from the deck.

Keep your fingers crossed for good weather, too. Halong Bay is beautiful in the fog, but your videos will be better if it's sunny. Your boat will surely have an excursion to Titop Island for an hour or two. Take your Mavic with you and hike to the top. I did a launch from there near the pagoda at the summit.

Sapa
I have not been to Sapa. I opted for the waterfalls at Ban Gioc instead. I wanted to be the first kid on my block to fly over a border and penetrate another country's airspace.

Mitigating risk
Realize flying in Vietnam, or any other country requiring certification, isn't without risk. There's a massive statue they call Lady Buddha in Da Nang. She is taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York City. I asked the security police there if I could fly my P3. "Sure! Nobody cares," was the reply I got. I opened my backpack to show them my drone. Yes, go ahead. No problem. Within a few minutes, I was buzzing around her face like an irritating mosquito and he was right. Nobody cared.

My mistake is I took this "nobody cares" attitude and applied it to all of Vietnam. On my next trip I was in Vung Tau flying from the promenade at the beach. I went back the next day and launched again. Within minutes, I was surrounded by 6 Vietnamese Army soldiers. I was compelled to recover the drone and taken to an Army Station in the city. I was treated professionally and courteously, but they confiscated my drone for 2 weeks while they "investigated."

Some tips:

• Be tactical and stealthy. Don't launch near crowds; they will gather around you. The soldiers at Vung Tau were tipped off by a guy at the beach.
• Range is your friend. Example: if you want to fly over the Imperial Citadel at Hue, launch from at least a mile away and across the river.
• Get your footage and go. As a rule, I don't do more than two flights from the same location. Have your backpack or case be the type where you can quickly shove your gear in and go, if necessary. Sort out your kit later.
• Bribe money - I always keep a few $100 bills handy just in case. I've never resorted to using them.
• Find a pretty girlfriend who works for a company that does a lot of business with the Vietnamese military. I would not have gotten my Phantom back without her and her negotiating skills.

Have fun! Vietnam is a beautiful country and very drone-worthy and drone-friendly. I'm heading back there on Friday. Maybe I'll see you in Hanoi.

View attachment 45927

Thank you so much for your comprehensive guide. Unfortunately, I never got any notifications regarding your comment. Fortunately, I was careful and was able to fly my Mavic Air in Halong Bay and Sapa without any problems. I was staying in Lotte at Hanoi and I was itching to fly from there but I held myself back for next time. Your pictures look amazing and your guide will surely be of great help the next time I visit Vietnam.

Also, I had a wrong impression about Vietnam before visiting but now I'm in love with the place. Planning to visit again soon. And, I also didn't face any problems at the Hanoi airport and when I launched the Air in Halong Bay and in Sapa. In general, people in Vietnam are very friendly and they really weren't bothered about my Mavic Air made and the noise it made (I sometimes get paranoid cos of the prop noise). Going to visit again soon, hopefully next year. Visited Hanoi, Sapa and Halong Bay this time so hopefully will check out Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Ban Gioc Waterfalls and the Golden Bridge next time. Maybe someday I'll bump into you there.

Thank you again for all the info. Happy flying!

 

[Saadman1]

Here's what I shot in Halong Bay:

 

[Gecko10]

Well, FWIW I have logged about 5000 hours in Vietnam in AH1-G Cobras

 

[Mavicmax2018]

Hi - Thanks Clipper707 and Saadman1 for your info. This is really helpful.
Going to Vietnam for holiday this weekend and I plan to fly my Mavic Pro. I will arrive by international flight to Ho Chi Minh City so I am trying to assess the risks, the biggest one being to get my drone confiscated at the airport.

- Do I need any kind of permit (as I have sen on some older forums)? If so who/when do they check it?
- Do you foresee any issue in travelling with internal flights (mine will be HCMC to Hanoi and back)?

I am trying to get the most up to date info to make my decision to take it or not for my 2-week trip.

Thanks

 

[Saadman1]

Hi - Thanks Clipper707 and Saadman1 for your info. This is really helpful.
Going to Vietnam for holiday this weekend and I plan to fly my Mavic Pro. I will arrive by international flight to Ho Chi Minh City so I am trying to assess the risks, the biggest one being to get my drone confiscated at the airport.

- Do I need any kind of permit (as I have sen on some older forums)? If so who/when do they check it?
- Do you foresee any issue in travelling with internal flights (mine will be HCMC to Hanoi and back)?

I am trying to get the most up to date info to make my decision to take it or not for my 2-week trip.

Thanks

Yes, you do need a permit to fly it in Vietnam and it takes a lot of time to get the permit. Its better to fly it outside the city, away from the crowd.
Domestic flights should not be a problem but even then try your best not to reveal that you're taking a drone. Just take off the props and put it in a different bag. That should do the trick. Also, don't take a big drone such as a Phantom or an Inspire.

 

[Alexas6s]

Yes, you do need a permit to fly it in Vietnam and it takes a lot of time to get the permit. Its better to fly it outside the city, away from the crowd.
Domestic flights should not be a problem but even then try your best not to reveal that you're taking a drone. Just take off the props and put it in a different bag. That should do the trick. Also, don't take a big drone such as a Phantom or an Inspire.

That was so helpful!!! I will travel myself in december arriving in Tan Son Nhat Airport, in Ho Chi Minh. Have you heard anything regarding this airport? Also, should I leave my backpack for inside the cargo, on bring it as a carry on? What will be better to avoid confiscation of my drone? I have a Mavic Air!
Thanks

 

[Saadman1]

That was so helpful!!! I will travel myself in december arriving in Tan Son Nhat Airport, in Ho Chi Minh. Have you heard anything regarding this airport? Also, should I leave my backpack for inside the cargo, on bring it as a carry on? What will be better to avoid confiscation of my drone? I have a Mavic Air!
Thanks

I have seen many videos in Youtube regarding taking your drone to all the airports in Vietnam and most were positive regarding all the airports. I didn't fly to HCMC and hence I have no personal experience regarding that airport but I believe you should be fine. What I do is put my Mavic Air and charger in the checked-in bag (without the props) and put the batteries and props in my cabin bag. That works smooth all the time. Should work for you too.

 

[Clipper707]

I've flown into HCMC numerous times with my Phantoms and Mavic. I don't believe you'll have any problems. I'm flying from Yangon to Hanoi tonight and then from Hanoi to HCMC tomorrow night. I don't give flying into Vietnam, internationally or domestically, with a drone a second thought, but perhaps my complacency will cost me.

BTW, in Vietnam they don't say "drone" and use the more descriptive term, "flycam."

 

[Saadman1]

I've flown into HCMC numerous times with my Phantoms and Mavic. I don't believe you'll have any problems. I'm flying from Yangon to Hanoi tonight and then from Hanoi to HCMC tomorrow night. I don't give flying into Vietnam, internationally or domestically, with a drone a second thought, but perhaps my complacency will cost me.

BTW, in Vietnam they don't say "drone" and use the more descriptive term, "flycam."

All it takes is one occasion for leaving a sour taste. I don't understand their language and hence didn't take the risk in Hanoi. Had no issue in Sapa and in Halong Bay.

 

[Clipper707]

Well, FWIW I have logged about 5000 hours in Vietnam in AH1-G Cobras

Were the Golfs Army Cobras? A little before my time. As a grunt, I had Whiskey Cobras overhead.

 

[nicky9499]

Gday all,

I'm planning a trip to Da Nang soon and find myself in a similar situation. What I've considered is flying into HCM (or other less-strict international arpt), then transferring to a domestic flight to Da Nang as there a multiple account of little to no scanning on domestic flights there. Can anyone advise?

 

[Clipper707]

The reports about flycam (drone) confiscations are a couple of years old and seem to be limited to international flights into Danang. I flew from Hanoi to Danang in 2015 with a Phantom 3 and had no problems.

I brought my Mavic in from Taipei to HCMC on 16 September 2018 and a week later flew from HCMC to Hue (Phu Bai) and flew again from Hue to Hanoi with no issues. I flew out of HCMC on 09 December 2018.

My Mavic is in its own dedicated backpack so there's no missing it. When departing HCMC in December, they xrayed and then looked at one battery to determine its mah. No problems.

I've flown with Phantoms and the Mavic into Vietnam several times a year since 2015 with no issues at the airports.

Hanoi update: Lotte Tower is now geo-fenced. The Mavic couldn't get near it. I was flying from across Tay Ho (West Lake.)

I haven't flown into Danang internationally and wouldn't do so with a drone.

 

[paulrawlingson]

I had a great time in Vietnam flying mainly around the islands.. here's what it gives after 3 weeks in the country.

This thread from @Saadman1 also inspired me to complete my previous research about local rules in Vietnam.. hope this helps man, wishing you all the best time in this amazing country!

 

[Saadman1]

I had a great time in Vietnam flying mainly around the islands.. here's what it gives after 3 weeks in the country.

This thread from @Saadman1 also inspired me to complete my previous research about local rules in Vietnam.. hope this helps man, wishing you all the best time in this amazing country!

Epic video bro! You've been to some really exotic places and now I feel like visiting again. Keep it up and happy flying!

 

[Kenwoo]

Entered Hanoi with M2P on 21 March 2019, no issue at all. Flew at Ninh Binh, Van Long Nature Reserve, Trang An grottoes, and Mua Caves & mountain. The panoramic photos and 4K footages taken by M2P are gorgeously filled with beautiful scenery of rivers, wetlands, mountains, and temples. Enjoyed very much !

 

[Saadman1]

Entered Hanoi with M2P on 21 March 2019, no issue at all. Flew at Ninh Binh, Van Long Nature Reserve, Trang An grottoes, and Mua Caves & mountain. The panoramic photos and 4K footages taken by M2P are gorgeously filled with beautiful scenery of rivers, wetlands, mountains, and temples. Enjoyed very much !

M2P is amazing with the 1 inch Hasselblad sensor. I'm waiting for the next iteration of the Mavic Air. Should be amazing if they can put a Hasselblad sensor in there too.

 

[d.raft]

Hello guys, thank you for all your previous posts, they reassured me unlike the other advices I can read on the internet..

I plan to go to Vietnam in a week with my brand new mavic air.

We will arrive in Saigon (HCM), then travel to Hoi An, Dark Caves, Hanoi, and Ha Long Bay.

I asked for an authorization with the dedicated form but I'm not really expecting any answer.

To have less trouble as possible, I bought a battery LIPO bag to contain any potential explosion of the 3 batteries.
I will also print as informations as I can about the mavic Air specifications and DJI policy about NFZ (and the unability to take off if I ever try to fly the drone if I'm located inside one of them to reassure them about my good intentions)
Hope that will help me to manage the situation if any cop or military member wants to confiscate it.

I will keep you informed, it will also inform the next persons who will want to go to Vietnam with a drone

Once again, thank you all, especially @Clipper707 for your long and detailled post.