VASCO (Vietnam Air Services Company)

Is VASCO safe?

Yes, on the record. VASCO has flown passengers for Vietnam Airlines for more than 20 years without a fatal accident, and its ATR 72 turboprops have not been in an accident in that time. We score it 75. The lower score than its parent comes from things a passenger can see: an older turboprop fleet, short regional runways and weather that can close them, plus a record that Vietnam reports only thinly.

Who is VASCO?

The Vietnam Air Services Company was set up in 1987 as part of Vietnam Airlines and is still its branch company; in January 2026 Vietnam Airlines announced plans to spin it off as a separate company (ch-aviation). In 2019 it held about 4% of Vietnam's domestic market, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. Today it flies the routes the national airline's jets cannot or do not serve: from Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao, Ca Mau and Rach Gia, from Can Tho to Con Dao, Phu Quoc and Da Lat, and from Hanoi to Dien Bien, Dong Hoi and Vinh.

Most passengers never see the name. Tickets are sold through Vietnam Airlines under VN flight numbers in the 8000s (VN8020 from Can Tho to Da Lat, for example), and the aircraft carry the Vietnam Airlines Group brand. But in the air the flights use VASCO's own designator and call sign (VFC, "VASCO AIR"), and the crews and certificate are VASCO's. Under our rules that makes it a separate airline, so its record is here, not on the Vietnam Airlines page.

What has gone wrong?

The only accident in the 20-year window was not a passenger flight. On 25 November 2013 a VASCO Beechcraft King Air (VN-B594) with nine people on board was on a calibration flight, the kind that checks navigation aids at airports. On approach to Buon Ma Thuot its landing gear did not extend. The pilot landed without it and the aircraft skidded off the runway. No one was hurt, and the aircraft was damaged. We count it, since it was flown on VASCO's certificate, but weigh it lightly: it says little about the ATR passenger flights.

We found no serious incident, fine or grounding in the last 10 years, and no VASCO event among the investigations notified to France's BEA, which follows events involving ATR aircraft. That is good news, but Vietnam publishes few occurrence reports, so we score incidents at 68, the middle of the range for Vietnamese airlines.

How old are VASCO's planes?

Older than most in Vietnam. ch-aviation lists six ATR 72 turboprops, and VASCO's own website describes its fleet as 68-seat ATR 72-500s. In 2018, ch-aviation reported that all of VASCO's ATRs were built in 2009 and 2010, which makes them about 16 years old now. Flight tracking also shows an ATR 72-600, the current model with a glass cockpit, on some VASCO flights; we could not confirm whether it belongs to the fleet.

The ATR 72-500 is a proven type, and an aircraft's age matters less than how it is maintained. But it is an older design, and turboprops fly lower than jets, through more of the weather. In 2018 VASCO was studying regional jets to replace them (CAPA via ch-aviation); the ATRs still fly. The fleet scores 55, alongside other ATR 72-500 operators.

Where VASCO flies

The network is the hard end of Vietnamese flying. Con Dao is an island far off the south coast with a short runway. Ca Mau and Rach Gia are small Mekong Delta airports. Dien Bien sits in a valley in the north-west mountains, where cloud and low visibility can close the airport. The south's monsoon runs from about May to November, with heavy afternoon storms, and typhoons hit the centre and north from about August to November.

How to fly VASCO safely

• Expect weather delays on island and mountain routes. Con Dao and Dien Bien flights are the first to be held or cancelled in bad weather. That is the system working; build a spare day into a Con Dao trip in the wet season.
• Pack light. ATR 72s have small overhead bins and strict weight limits, and on short runways weight matters.
• Keep your seat belt fastened when seated. Turboprops cruise lower than jets, in the bumpy air where storms form.

How we scored it

No passenger accident in 20 years gives the accident record 87, with the 2013 calibration flight counted lightly. The fleet (55) is the weak factor: about 16-year-old ATR 72-500s. Oversight (72) lacks a confirmed IOSAIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary audit, and incidents (68) reflect Vietnam's thin reporting. Compare Pacific Airlines at 79, Vietnam Airlines' other subsidiary.