Vietnam Agrees to Buy 50 Boeing Aircraft in $8bn Trade Deal

Vietnam Agrees to Buy 50 Boeing Jets Under New US–Vietnam Trade Framework

Mohd Hanif Ismail - : Oct 31, 2025 - : 11:10 am

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Vietnam has reportedly agreed to purchase 50 Boeing aircraft — a deal industry sources value at roughly US$8 billion — as part of a broader US–Vietnam trade framework announced during recent US diplomatic engagements in Southeast Asia. The purchase, which analysts say will accelerate Vietnam’s fleet modernisation and expand its long-haul and regional capacity, signals a notable deepening of US aerospace ties across the Asia-Pacific.

The package is understood to be part of a string of aerospace commitments by Southeast Asian nations that accompanied high-level US trade diplomacy in the region. Alongside commitments from Thailand and Malaysia to acquire US-built aircraft, Vietnam’s move underscores a pivot among several ASEAN carriers and governments toward US suppliers at a time when competition between Boeing and Airbus remains intense in the region. Aviation specialists say the order would support Vietnam’s target of expanding international connectivity while replacing older narrow-body and wide-body types.

For Vietnam, the practical implications are twofold. Commercially, a 50-aircraft order would materially raise fleet scale and route capability for a national carrier or a combination of carriers — enabling more direct links across Asia and to Europe, the Middle East and North America as demand recovers. Strategically, the transaction reinforces Hanoi’s diversification of defence-adjacent supply chains and civil aerospace partnerships beyond traditional European suppliers, a point of interest as geopolitical competition for influence intensifies across the Asia-Pacific. Industry consultants caution that financing, delivery slots and engine supply remain the key variables that will determine the timing and mix of types delivered.

Boeing, for its part, has in recent years pushed to revitalise its order book in Asia after production pauses and supply-chain constraints. A substantial Vietnam commitment would help Boeing shore up its presence in an important growth market for air travel. For Vietnamese carriers and the government, observers note that large purchases of US aircraft often come with long-term maintenance, training and financing packages — elements that create industrial ties beyond the aircraft themselves and which can strengthen bilateral commercial relations.

As with any large aviation contract, the headline figure is only the start: the finalised contract would likely include a mix of aircraft types, optional follow-on orders, leasing arrangements and a delivery schedule that could extend across several years.