Vietnam Airlines burned 2,200 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel in 2025, cutting lifecycle carbon emissions by about 5,600 tonnes, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

The figure anchors a wider CAAV assessment of how Hanoi can move from limited blending trials at Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat and Hanoi's Noi Bai airports toward an integrated domestic SAF supply chain.

CAAV Director Uong Viet Dung said: "The launch of SAF would be strategically important for the long term, because it would lay the groundwork for a sustainable domestic SAF supply chain which meets international market requirements and encourages cooperation among airlines, fuel suppliers, regulators and financial institutions."

A narrow operational base so far

Vietnamese carriers' SAF experience to date comprises four discrete events:

• May 2024: Vietnam Airlines operated a commercial Singapore–Hanoi passenger flight on SAF — the first such service by a Vietnamese airline
• 2024: Petrolimex Aviation imported and supplied SAF for Vietjet flights at Tan Son Nhat
• 2025: Petrolimex Aviation participated in domestic blending
• 15 August 2025: Vietjet ran flights on SAF blended and supplied by Petrolimex Aviation, totalling 1,200 cu.m

That volume remains marginal against national jet-fuel demand. IATA members have set a net-zero 2050 target in which SAF could deliver up to 65% of the required emissions reductions.

What does the proposed roadmap cover?

The CAAV is surveying domestic feedstocks — agricultural biomass, used cooking oil and waste — alongside conversion technologies. It will propose a supply-chain model, management measures and a phased deployment plan built around three reference points:

• Vietnam's international commitments, including ICAO's CORSIA offsetting scheme
• The need to avoid shocks to local carriers and the air transport market
• Compatibility with CORSIA and the EU's RefuelEU Aviation mandate

What is the production track?

PetroVietnam has tasked two subsidiaries with research:

• Bình Sơn Refining and Petrochemical JSC (BSR): the HEFA route — hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids
• PetroVietnam Oil Corporation (PVOIL) and the Vietnam Petroleum Institute: used cooking oil and other feedstocks

What gaps remain?

CAAV flags uneven airline readiness and warns that some Vietnamese carriers still lack concrete SAF deployment plans. A complete domestic supply chain does not yet exist, and full feasibility of nationwide rollout has yet to be assessed.

At Noi Bai, the airport's fuel service company has provisionally judged that existing infrastructure — storage tanks, pipelines and refuelling systems — can handle SAF or Jet A-1 blends. Quality assurance, testing, certification and traceability rules still need defining.

How does the regulatory alignment work?

At a September 2025 meeting of the provisional Joint Committee for the ASEAN–EU Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement in Bangkok, ASEAN governments asked the EU to permit SAF to be certified under both RefuelEU Aviation and ICAO's CORSIA standards. CAAV said Vietnam will continue to participate in those harmonisation discussions to ease implementation for domestic carriers.

What it means for operators

Cost remains the binding constraint. Until Vietnamese or regional HEFA capacity scales, domestic SAF will continue to trade at a premium over imported Jet A-1. Whether the final roadmap imposes a mandate or only a supply obligation will decide whether Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet can absorb the premium without disturbing fares or schedules. Converting the current feedstock studies into a commercial-scale, CORSIA- and RefuelEU-aligned supply will frame Vietnam's place in the regional net-zero pathway through the end of the decade.